TIN  SOLDIERS 


WALTER  MERR1AM  PRATT 


"TIN  SOLDIERS" 


"TIN  SOLDIERS" 

The  Organized  Militia  and  What 
It  Really  Is 

WALTER  MERRIAM  PRATT 

Author  of 

'Tkf  Burning  of  Chelsea"  "The  Maritime  Provinces  as  seen  from  an 
Automobile"  "Through  Europe  on  One  Hundred  Dollars"  etc. 

With  Foreword  by 
CAPT.  GEORGE  E.  THORNE,  24th  Infantry,  U.  S.  A. 

Aide-de-Camp,  Governors  Island,  N.  Y.  Officer  in  charge  of  Militia 
Affairs  of  the  Dept.  of  the  Eastern  Division. 


RICHARD  G.  BADGER 

THE  GOBHAM  PRESS    ,     ; 


Copyright,  1912,  by  Richard  G.  Badger 
All  Rights  Reserved 


Tht  Gorhaw'fycsfi  QoXon,  U.  S.  A. 


TO 
THE  PURITAN  CLUB,  BOSTON 

among  whose  members  are  many  officers 
in  the  different  branches  of  the  service 
and  where  an  officer  of  the  Regular  Army 
or  the  Organized  Militia  is  sure  to  re- 
ceive a  cordial  welcome, 

THIS  BOOK  IS  DEDICATED 


334254 


FOREWORD 

FROM  the  beginning  of  our  national  existence  the 
militia  has  been  very  much  maligned.  This 
has  been  the  logical  result  of  our  people  failing 
to  appreciate  the  true  value  of  military  training.  Be- 
cause the  militia,  lacking  in  organization,  equipment, 
and  training,  with  empty  stomachs,  and  marched  aim- 
lessly about  by  untrained  leaders,  were  not  always  able 
to  withstand  the  onslaughts  of  a  well-trained  enemy, 
they  were  compelled  to  suffer,  in  addition  to  defeat, 
the  further  humiliation  of  being  called  by  their  un- 
appreciative  fellow  townsmen,  and  even  by  statesmen 
in  the  Halls  of  Congress,*  that  word  which  comes  so 
readily  to  those  who  have  never  experienced  the  terrible 
strain  of  battle  —  COWARDS.  To  say  that  these 
patriotic  men  who  volunteered  to  defend  their  neigh- 
bors' fireside  and  the  honor  of  their  country  were  as  a 
class  deserving  of  such  an  epithet  is  preposterous. 
It  was  simply  a  lack  of  organization,  equipment,  train- 
ing (team  work)  and  qualified  leaders.  Only  by  such 
an  explanation  is  it  possible  to  account  for  the  action 
of  the  men  who  fought  in  the  battles  of  the  first  Bull 
Run  and  at  Gettysburg. 

The  American  people  are  rapidly  awakening  to  the 

*Report  of  the   congressional  investigation  after  the  battle  of 
Bladensburg  and  the  burning  of  the  capitol  during  the  warof  1812. 


8  FOREWORD 

true  value  of  military  training,  not  only  as  a  means  of 
national  defense,  but  also  as  a  potent  factor  in  modern 
business.  The  time  is  ripe  for  a  book  which  will 
create  an  interest  in  the  militia  —  the  men  who  have 
kept  the  military  spark  aglow  —  and  which  will  place 
them  before  the  people  in  such  a  light  as  to  demand  their 
respect  and  support.  To  do  this  without  favor  or 
hope  of  reward  has  been  the  author's  avowed  purpose 
in  this  most  worthy  undertaking. 

Mr.  Pratt  has  had  considerable  practical  experi- 
ence, having  served  in  the  cavalry,  field  artillery,  and 
infantry  branches  of  the  militia,  and  at  present  holds 
a  commission  as  first  lieutenant  in  the  Eighth  Massa- 
chusetts Infantry.  He  has  participated  in  practically 
all  the  large  maneuvers  during  the  last  ten  years, 
either  in  the  line  of  duty  or  as  war  correspondent,  and 
in  writing  this  book  has  done  his  country  the  highest 
service  possible  by  assisting  in  bringing  home  to  our 
citizens  the  necessity  of  building  up  in  time  of  peace 
an  adequate  national  defense. 

GEORGE  E.  THOBNE. 
Governor's  Island,  N.Y., 
4  February,  1912. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Introduction  by  Capt.  George  E.  Thorne,  U.  S.  A.  7 

Author's  Note  13 

The  Tin  Soldier  17 

The  Dick  Bill  22 

The  Officer  27 

The  Federal  Pay  Bill  33 

The  Enlisted  Man  38 

Efficiency  of  the  National  Guard  42 

Drill  Regulations  47 

The  First  Field  Army  48 

General  Officers  48 

The  Mobile  Army  53 

Camps  of  Instruction  for  Officers  65 

Schools  for  Officers  of  Auxiliary  Arms  69 

Strike  Duty  71 

Maneuvers  87 

Pine  Camp  90 

The  Massachusetts  Maneuvers  of  1909  91 

A  Militia  Officer  with  the  Regulars  105 

Official  Reports  on  Texas  Maneuvers  140 

Why  the  Texas  Maneuvers  were  Beneficial  145 

Appendix  —  History  and  Statistics  of  the  Militia    167 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Militia  Maneuvers  take  on  the  Aspect  of  Real  War 

at  Times       ....      FRONTISPIECE 

OPP.  PAGE 

A  Cavalryman  making  his  Horse  do  Stunts         .       18 

A  Militia  Battery  of  Field  Artillery  at  Target 

Practice 28 

Rain  does  not  stop  the  Maneuvers     ...       38 

Ready  for  a  Determined  Stand  against  an  Ad- 
vancing Enemy  .  .  ...  54 

Organized  Militia  at  the  Great  Chelsea  Fire  in 

1908  .  .  .  I  .  .  60 

Infantry  passing,  "route  march,"  through  a  Village 

during  the  Maneuvers  .  .  «  .  68 

Militia  driving  Riotous  Textile  Strikers  out  of  the 

Mill  District  .  .  .  .  .  .  76 

Enlisted  Men  holding  a  Crowd  of  Strikers  back 
while  the  Officers  try  to  persuade  Them  to 
Disperse  .  .  .  .  .  .84 

A  Company  Wagon  Ready  for  the  March. 

Five  Minutes  after  Camp  is  reached  the  Cook  Tent 

is  up  and  a  Fire  Lighted  ...  94 

A  Ten-Minute  Halt  is  made  every  Fifty  Minutes 

when  on  a  "Hike"  102 


OPP.  PAGE 

The  Maneuver  Division  at  San  Antonio,  Texas, 

in  1911 108 

Sanitary  Troops  taking  a  Disabled  Man  to  a  Field 

Hospital. 
Machine  Gun  Ready  for  Use     .          .          .         .122 

A  Pontoon  Bridge  Train 136 

After  Marching  and  Sleeping  for  Forty-eight 
Hours  in  a  Driving  Rain  these  Militiamen  are 
being  issued  Ammunition  for  an  All-day 

Battle 150 

Holding  open  a  Railroad  Line  until  Supplies  have 

been  brought  up  .         .         .         .164 


AUTHOR'S  NOTE 

THERE  is  a  tendency  for  one  to  overestimate  the 
importance  of  things  they  are  interested  in  and 
with  this  in  mind  the  author  has  aimed  faith- 
fully to  describe  the  militia  as  it  is,  mentioning  both 
good  and  bad  points  impartially.  The  number  of 
educated  people  who  have  a  totally  wrong  idea  about 
the  Organized  Militia  is  astounding.  There  seems 
to  be  no  book  in  print  which  handles  the  subject  in  an 
elementary  way,  and  it  is  hoped  that  this  book  will  reach 
the  general  public  and  especially  that  class  of  people 
who  delight  jokingly  to  refer  to  the  patriotic  men 
making  up  the  personnel  of  the  Organized  Militia, 
as  "Tin  Soldiers,"  and  result  in  impressing  them  with 
the  importance  of  the  country's  secondary  defense. 
On  the  author's  return  from  a  tour  of  duty  in  Texas 
in  the  early  summer  of  1911,  a  series  of  articles  was 
published  in  the  New  England  Magazine  of  Boston, 
setting  forth  things  seen  and  observed  while  with  the 
Regulars.  The  interest  shown  in  these  articles,  the 
request  for  further  information  about  the  army,  and 
the  author's  desire  to  rectify  the  wrong  impression 
many  have  of  the  Organized  Militia  is  the  occasion 
for  this  book.  The  articles  referred  to,  somewhat 
abbreviated,  form  a  part  of  this  volume. 


14  AUTHOR'S  NOTE 

Statistics  were  secured  from  reports  of  the  Chief 
Division  of  Militia  Affairs,  Upton's  Military  Policy  of 
the  United  States,  The  State  Militia  Laws,  Organized 
Militia  and  Army  Regulations  and  Steele's  American 
Campaigns. 

The  writer  is  under  the  greatest  obligations  to  Capt. 
George  E.  Thorne  and  First  Lieut.  George  C.  Marshall, 
U.  S.  A.,  for  information  and  assistance,  and  to  Major 
Charles  H.  Cole,  of  Massachusetts,  Capt.  John  J. 
Bolger,  of  Illinois,  and  Capt.  Frank  S.  Elliott,  M.  V.  M., 
to  all  of  whom  he  is  indebted  for  suggestions,  in- 
formation or  pictures. 

W.  M.  P. 


"TIN  SOLDIERS 


"TIN  SOLDIERS" 

THE  American  people  as  a  whole  know  practically 
nothing  about  the  United  States  Army,  es- 
pecially that  part  of  it  designated  as  the  Na- 
tional Guard  or  Organized  Militia,  and  it  often  seems 
that  they  care  still  less.  This  book  is  to  treat  his- 
torically and  statistically  of  the  Organized  Militia,  to 
show  its  present  relation  to  the  Regular  Army  and  how 
necessary  it  really  is,  and  correct,  if  possible,  erroneous 
ideas  many  people  have  in  regard  to  it. 

Question  the  civilian  and  you  will  find  he  frequently 
refers  to  the  personnel  of  the  militia  as  "Tin  Soldiers," 
and  thinks  of  them  as  a  lot  of  fanatics  who  are  mentally 
unbalanced  on  this  one  subject,  but  when  his  life  and 
property  for  any  cause  are  placed  in  jeopardy  and  the 
militia  are  called  out  to  aid  the  civil  authorities  in 
quelling  the  disturbance,  nothing  is  too  good  for  them. 
The  press  seems  to  delight  in  using  the  most  potent 
of  all  weapons  —  ridicule  —  against  them.  Labor 
unions,  in  some  cases,  prohibit  their  members  from  en- 
listment. Some  of  the  banks  and  factories,  which 
would  be  and  have  been  the  very  first  to  call  for  pro- 
tection in  times  of  disaster  and  disturbance,  forbid 
their  employees  to  enlist. 

What  kind  of  an  organization,  then,  is  the  National 


17 


18  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

Guard?  It  is,  generally  speaking,  a  body  of  men  devot- 
ing time  and  energy  to  the  study  of  military  science, 
who,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say,  show  more  practical 
patriotism  than  any  other  class  of  American  citizens. 
Its  members  sacrifice  time,  money  and  pleasure  to 
give  themselves  to  hard  and  even,  at  times,  monotonous 
work,  that  their  country  may  have  a  secondary  defense 
to  back  up  its  ridiculously  small  Regular  Army.  The 
National  Guard  officers  and  men  of  to-day  are  in  a 
sense  on  duty  all  of  the  time  but  without  pay.  The 
officer  retains  his  property,  responsibility,  and  performs 
a  certain  amount  of  military  duty.  The  enlisted  man 
in  the  Guard  is  practically  in  the  regular  service,  but 
on  furlough,  except  that  he  also  performs  a  certain 
amount  of  military  duty.  Like  the  regular,  leaves  and 
furloughs  are  revoked  in  case  of  war,  and  the  "Tin 
Soldier"  days  are  past.  The  utter  lack  of  interest  the 
average  business  man  has  in  the  militia,  his  own  best 
insurance  policy  and  the  force  that  stands  for  law  and 
order,  is  startling.  It  is  the  National  Guard  that  takes 
hold,  keeps  order,  and  protects  his  interests  when  the 
local  police  are  unable  to  cope  with  conditions,  as  at 
Chelsea,  Johnstown  and  Galveston.  As  long  as  war, 
fire,  flood  and  riot  can  exist,  it  is  imperative  that  the 
militia  shall  continue,  and  it  should  receive  the  help 
and  popular  support  it  deserves  from  capital  and  labor 
alike. 

The  United  States  has  only  72,500  men  in  her 
Regular  Army,  taking  out  sanitary  and  other  troops, 
there  remains  only  45,500  infantry,  cavalry  and  ar- 


THE  TIN  SOLDIER  19 

tillery  to  form  our  entire  "field "  fighting  army,  and  they 
are  scattered  about  the  Philippines,  Hawaii,  Alaska, 
Porto  Rico,  Panama  and  the  States;  but  she  has  the 
National  Guard,  consisting  of  110,500,  for  the  most  part, 
well  equipped,  physically  fit,  intelligent  men,  under 
oath  to  serve  at  the  call  of  the  President  for  the  term 
of  their  enlistment,  just  as  the  regular  does.  These 
are  what  the  unthinking  and  the  unfair  delight  in  calling 
"Tin  Soldiers."  The  very  man  who  jeers  from  the 
sidewalk  as  the  militia  passes  could  not,  in  many  cases, 
pass  the  rigid  physical  examination  required.  Many 
point  out  with  ridicule  any  unavoidable  incident  which 
occurs,  and,  although  it  may  be  unworthy  of  notice, 
or  something  liable  to  happen  in  any  large  society 
of  persons,  it  is  at  once  taken  up  if  it  concerns  the 
militia,  and  is  dwelt  upon  and  augmented  by  the  news- 
papers until  the  facts  are  so  distorted  that  they  are 
unrecognizable.  A  good  example  of  this  happened  a 
day  or  so  after  the  great  Chelsea  fire,  while  the  city 
was  under  military  control.  Several  of  the  soldiers 
took  from  the  ruins  of  a  hardware  store,  as  souvenirs, 
scraps  of  iron  which  had  melted  and  been  twisted  into 
odd  shapes.  A  newspaper  man  saw  a  chance  for 
''copy"  and  the  next  day  a  Boston  paper  carried  two- 
column  headings  to  the  effect  that  the  soldiers  on  duty 
in  Chelsea  were  looting  the  ruins.  There  was  ab- 
solutely not  a  word  of  truth  in  the  article  which  fol- 
lowed. It  was  simply  made  up  in  the  fertile  brain  of  an 
unprincipled  reporter,  and  yet  the  story  was  taken  up 
as  a  fact  by  the  press  of  the  country. 


20  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

The  press  never  seems  to  miss  an  opportunity  to 
make  fun  of  the  militia,  but  notwithstanding  the  unjust 
criticism  of  which  they  are  the  butt,  officers  and  men 
obey  the  unwritten  law  not  to  reply. 

With  most  nations  military  training  is  compulsory 
in  America  it  is  left  to  one's  loyalty  to  volunteer,  and  it 
speaks  well  for  this  country  that  there  are  men  who  are 
willing  to  give  their  time,  without  pay,  and  in  many 
cases  with  great  financial  sacrifice.  Many  of  the  officers 
of  the  National  Guard  are  men  of  national  prominence 
professionally,  intellectually  or  financially.  These  men, 
in  many  instances,  freely  give  every  minute  of  their 
leisure  to  this  government. 

Since  the  early  days  of  the  Honourable  Artillery 
Company  of  London,  the  oldest  military  organization 
with  a  continuous  history  in  the  Anglo-Saxon  world,  it 
has  been  considered  one  of  the  duties  and  privileges 
of  high-spirited  young  men  to  give  a  portion  of  their 
time  to  training  in  the  practice  of  arms.  All  great 
powers  except  England  and  the  United  States  require 
compulsory  military  service.  The  doctrine  that  every 
able-bodied  citizen  owes  some  portion  of  his  time  to 
the  service  of  the  state  is  just  and  proper  and  means 
a  safe  and  sane  nation.  A  careful  study  of  our  history 
will  show  that  the  militia  of  this  country  has  gone 
through  five  periods: 

First.  Merely  citizens;  no  organization,  arma- 
ment, uniforms,  equipment  or  drill. 

Second.  Trained  bands;  no  organization,  arma- 
ment, uniforms  or  equipment,  but  a  more  or  less 


THE  TIN  SOLDIER  21 

systematic  period  of  instruction  in  acting  together. 

Third.  The  providing  of  some  armament  and 
equipment. 

Fourth.  The  volunteer  militia,  with  organization, 
armament,  uniforms,  equipment  and  drill;  purely 'a 
state  organization. 

Fifth.  Organizations  of  all  states  made  uniform  and 
subject  to  the  call  of  the  General  Government. 


THE  DICK  BILL 

last  great  change  in  our  National  Guard 
X  development  was  the  result  of  the  passage  of 
the  so-called  "Dick  Bill,"  which  required  that 
the  Organized  Militia,  in  order  to  receive  appro- 
priations from  Congress  should  have  the  same  organi- 
zation, armament  and  discipline  as  that  prescribed  for 
the  Regular  Army. 

Under  its  acts  and  amendments  the  National 
Government  provides  arms,  instruction  and  instructors, 
money  to  equip,  or  the  equipment  in  kind  to  the  extent 
of  available  appropriations,  and  participation  with 
the  Regular  Army  in  field  exercises  of  the  Army  of  the 
United  States  of  which  the  militia  is  now  a  part. 

Before  this  bill  went  into  effect,  we  had  in  the  coun- 
try at  large,  companies  of  militia  varying  in  strength 
from  twenty-five  men  to  one  hundred.  We  had 
officers  who  varied  so  in  rank  and  duties  that  an  officer 
from  one  state  couM  hardly  understand  the  organiza- 
tion of  another  state  and  even  organizations  within 
the  state  had  different  uniforms. 

The  Dick  Bill  has,  therefore,  created  out  of  chaos 
an  army  of  over  110,500  men  (lacking  to  a  large  extent 
in  field  artillery,  cavalry,  field  hospitals,  ambulance 
companies,  engineers,  and  transportation),  and  has 
increased  the  efficiency  of  that  force  for  state  service,  and 


22 


THE  DICK  BILL  23 

made  it  available  for  national  defense.  Its  national 
service  is  to-day  given  in  the  same  manner  that  its 
state  service  was  given  heretofore.  It  gives  the  Presi- 
dent authority  to  call  into  service  a  force  which  can 
go  as  organized;  it  gives  authority  for  Massachusetts 
troops  to  be  brigaded  with  those  from  Texas  and 
California,  under  an  officer  from  Illinois;  or  for  a  brigade 
from  Massachusetts  to  be  put  in  a  division  with  a 
brigade  from  Pennsylvania  and  one  from  New  York, 
under  a  division  commander  from  the  regulars,  and  with 
the  knowledge  that  in  so  doing  an  organized  fighting 
machine  is  at  all  times  available.  With  this  new 
national  militia  law  the  old  "milishy"  of  the  fuss-and- 
feathers  period  vanished.  The  annual  "muster,"  as  the 
week  in  camp  used  to  be  called,  ceased  to  be  a  vacation 
at  the  state's  expense,  with  lots  of  rum  and  little 
work,  and  the  National  Guard  of  to-day  developed. 

The  framers  of  the  Constitution  realized  that 
Congress  should  have  the  right  to  organize  and  dis- 
cipline the  militia,  to  call  it  out  for  preserving  order, 
quelling  insurrection,  and  enforcing  the  laws.  The 
potency  of  the  old  ideas  on  state's  rights  and  the  dis- 
inclination of  Congress  to  interfere  in  times  of  peace 
resulted  in  practically  no  action,  and  in  times  of  war 
or  pressing  necessity  the  militia  as  such  was  seldom 
if  ever  ready  for  service,  with  the  result  that  their 
record,  generally  speaking,  has  been  a  lamentable  one 
whenever  they  have  been  used  by  the  general  govern- 
ment. This  was  owing  to  the  faulty  organization, 
poor  equipment,  lack  of  proper  training  and  short-term 


24  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

enlistments.  In  time  of  war  it  was  found  necessary 
to  raise  volunteer  regiments  in  each  state,  in  order  that 
those  state  forces  might  become  a  part  of  a  central 
organization  which  was  the  same  all  over  the  country. 
This  therefore  is  what  Homer  Lee  means  when  he  states 
in  his  very  remarkable  book,  "The  Valor  of  Ignorance/* 
that  in  time  of  war  the  National  Guard  would  require 
reorganization.  Although  General  Lee's  book  was  not 
published  until  March,  1909,  it  was  completed  just 
subsequent  to  the  Portsmouth  Treaty  and  before 
the  Dick  Bill  had  become  a  law  and  revolutionized  the 
militia. 

The  Organized  Militia  has  been  wonderfully  in- 
creased in  efficiency  since  the  Dick  Bill  went  into  effect, 
but  before  it  can  attain  its  highest  development  as  a 
part  of  our  national  defense  it  must  be  nationalized. 
No  one  to-day  questions  the  loyalty  of  any  state,  its 
governor,  or  its  National  Guard,  but  in  outlining  a 
proper  military  policy  nothing  should  be  taken  for 
granted.  Governors  and  states  in  the  past  have  not 
supported  the  country  in  some  of  its  foreign  wars  — 
this  might  occur  again.  Furthermore,  in  questions 
regarding  the  proper  training  of  the  National  Guard 
the  Federal  War  Department  ought  not  to  be  dependent, 
in  making  its  plans,  on  the  various  ideas  of  our  forty- 
eight  state  governors.  Under  the  Dick  Bill  the  Presi- 
dent has  the  authority  to  call  into  the  service  of  the 
United  States  the  militia  of  a  state  through  its  gov- 
ernor. A  governor  can  refuse  to  obey  and  the  militia 
may  refuse  to  answer  a  call  not  transmitted  through 


THE  DICK  BILL  25 

their  governor.  While  such  acts  render  it  liable  to 
court  martial,  no  court  has  jurisdiction  and  no  punish- 
ment has  been  prescribed.  This  should  be  amended 
so  as  to  give  the  President  the  necessary  power  to  en- 
force his  authority. 

There  are  some  points  of  weakness  in  the  Dick  Bill 
that  should  be  immediately  strengthened  by  Con- 
gress; the  word  militia  as  used  in  the  bill,  should  be 
so  defined  as  to  preclude  any  possibility  of  misunder- 
standing. The  act  of  May  8,  1792,  prescribing  com- 
pulsory service  in  time  of  peace  on  the  part  of  every 
able-bodied  citizen  between  eighteen  and  forty-five 
should  be  restored.  The  Dick  Bill  repealed  this  act. 
A  uniform  term  of  enlistment  should  be  adopted  by  all 
the  states.  It  should  be  provided  that  no  militia 
would  be  accepted  into  the  service  of  the  United  States 
unless  they  have  complied  with  the  obligation  to  or- 
ganize, arm,  equip  and  be  disciplined  as  is  the  Regular 
Army.  The  adoption  of  a  universal  physical  standard 
should  be  enforced.  A  uniform  system  for  the  appoint- 
ment of  officers  should  be  adopted.  Election  at  any 
time  is  a  mistake  while  the  election  of  officers  by  their 
men  in  time  of  war  in  the  field  is  a  military  absurdity. 

It  should  be  rendered  impossible  by  Congress.  For 
instance,  how  long  would  a  department  store  be  able 
to  compete  with  its  competitors  if  the  managers  of 
its  departments  were  chosen  by  the  popular  vote  of  the 
employees?  And  what  kind  of  managers  would  be 
elected?  Would  the  most  efficient,  best  posted,  and 
strictest  man  be  elected?  No!  it  would  be  the  easy- 


26  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

going,  good  fellow  who  would  get  the  job  every  time. 

In  the  National  Guard  to-day  there  are  many  officers 
who,  sad  to  say,  are  much  too  lenient  and  familiar  with 
their  men,  simply  because  they  are  afraid  of  becoming 
unpopular  and  fear  being  turned  down  when  election 
comes.  This  matter  is  a  serious  handicap  to  the  Or- 
ganized Militia  and  should  be  given  attention  for  the 
good  of  the  service. 


THE  OFFICERS 

THE  insignia  of  a  commissioned  officer  of  the 
Regular  Service  bears  testimony  to  the  fact 
that  the  wearer  is  not  only  an  officer,  bul 
that  he  is  also  a  gentleman,  and  there  are  but  few 
places  where  he  is  not  cordially  welcomed  and  ex- 
tended every  courtesy.  Under  existing  military,  social 
and  business  law,  an  officer  of  the  National  Guard 
should  stand  on  a  similar  footing  to  the  officer  of  the 
Regular  Service,  unless  he  shows  by  his  work  or  conduct 
that  he  is  not  entitled  to  that  consideration. 

Half  a  lifetime  of  conscientious  work  and  en- 
deavor is  hardly  sufficient  to  give  a  man  the  standing 
as  a  man  of  honor  and  a  gentleman  that  goes  with  the 
insignia  of  a  commissioned  officer.  It  is  the  ambition 
of  most  men  entering  the  militia  to  become  officers 
eventually.  Not  until  his  ambition  is  realized  does  one 
comprehend  the  amount  of  time  and  study  an  officer 
gives  his  work. 

For  instance,  in  Massachusetts,  on  the  election  or  ap- 
pointment of  an  officer  in  any  regiment,  corps,  battalion, 
squadron,  departmental  or  personal  staff,  the  com- 
manding officer  of  such  organization  or  chief  of  depart- 
ment forwards  through  channels  to  the  Board  of 
Military  Examiners  a  report  giving  such  information 
as  he  officially  possesses  as  to  the  military,  moral  and 


28  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

general  qualifications  of  the  officer  elected  or  appointed; 
this  report  is  filled  with  the  records  of  the  Board  as 
part  of  the  records  of  the  examination. 

The  examination  for  lieutenant  includes  the  follow- 
ing  subjects  in   addition  to   a  physical  examination: 

1.  Infantry    Drill   Regulations,    including  —  General 
Principles;  School  of  the  Soldier;  School  of  the  Squad; 
School  of  the  Company;  Ceremonies;. Battalion  Review; 
Battalion    Parade;    Company    Inspection;    Battalion 
Inspection;  Escort  of  the  Color;  Manual  of  the  Sabre. 

2.  State  Militia  Law,  including  —  Election  and  Ap- 
pointment    of     Commissioned     Officers;     Examining 
Boards;   Appointment   and   Reduction   of   Non-Com- 
missioned    Officers;    Enlistment    and     Muster-in     of 
Soldiers;  Discharge  of  Enlisted  Men;  Arms,  Uniforms 
and  Equipments;  The  Control  and  Use  of  Armories 
During   Drills;   Tours  of  Duty;  Inspections,   etc.     3. 
Field  Service  Regulations,  including  —  The  Service  of 
Information;    Orders;    The    Service    of    Security.     4. 
Manual  of  Guard  Duty,  including  —  Rosters  and  De- 
tachments; Officer    of  the    Day;  Commander  of  the 
Guard;  Sergeant  of  the  Guard;  Corporal  of  the  Guard; 
Orderly  for  the  Commanding  Officer;  Privates  for  the 
Guard;  Orders  for  Sentinels  on  Post;  Compliments; 
Special    Orders;    Color    Line    and    Sentinels;    Super- 
numeraries;    Prisoners;     Countersigns     and     Paroles. 
5.     Small   Arms   Firing   Manual,   including  —  Defini- 
tions; General  Scheme;  Preliminary  Instruction  and 
Drills  for  Rifle;  Position  and  Aiming  Drill;  Deflection 
and  Elevation  Correction  Drill;  Estimating  Distance 


THE  OFFICERS  29 

Drill;  Effect  of  Fire;  Influence  of  Ground;  The  Em- 
ploy ment  of  Fire  in  Action;  Pistol  Practice.  6.  A  Gen- 
eral Knowledge  of  National  Guard  Regulations.  7. 
Interior  Administration  of  Companies,  including  — 
Books,  Papers,  Records,  etc.  8.  General  Knowledge 
of  Ashburn's  Elements  of  Hygiene.  9.  SherriU's 
Military  Map  Reading.  10.  Moss's  Officers'  Manual. 
11.  Studies  in  Minor  Tactics,  Army  School  of  the 
Line.  12.  A  General  Knowledge  of  Regulations  of 
the  War  Department  relating  to  the  Organized  Militia; 
and  Militia  and  Constitutional  Law. 

The  law  requires  at  least  twenty-four  drills  a  year 
for  armory  instruction,  with  sixty-six  and  two-thirds 
per  cent  of  the  enlisted  strength  present.  At  these 
drills  the  minutiae  of  the  drill  book  is  taken  up,  espe- 
cially those  parts  pertaining  to  the  school  of  the  soldier, 
school  of  the  squad,  and  school  of  the  company,  this 
with  a  view  to  developing  exactness  and  promptness  of 
execution  of  the  soldier,  as  an  individual  and  as  a 
member  of  the  squad,  and  of  the  company;  also,  all 
matters  pertaining  to  obedience,  correctness  of  dress  and 
smartness  of  appearance,  and  all  that  goes  to  make  up 
discipline.  All  of  this  the  officer  must  be  prepared  to 
explain  to  his  men.  If  he  is  a  company  officer  he  must 
keep  or  help  keep  the  following-named  books,  reports, 
and  papers:  a  correspondence  book,  a  sick  report,  a 
morning  report,  and,  in  companies  supplied  with  public 
animals,  a  file  or  descriptive  cards  of  public  animals; 
also  a  company  council  book,  a  record  and  order  book, 
an  enlistment  book  or  enlistment  papers,  a  duty  roster, 


30  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

a  property  book  or  property  cards,  a  first  sergeant's 
book,  and  a  company  fund  book,  to  be  furnished  by  the 
Quartermaster's  Department.  On  blanks  supplied 
by  the  Adjutant  General's  Department,  a  complete 
record,  description,  and  accounts  of  all  men  belonging 
to  or  who  have  belonged  to  the  company,  also  a  docu- 
ment file  of  orders  and  instructions  received  from  higher 
authority  and  retained  copies  of  the  various  rolls, 
physical  examination  of  recruits,  reports  and  returns 
required  by  regulations  and  orders. 

The  captain  of  the  company  is  responsible  for  its 
appearance,  discipline,  and  efficiency,  for  the  care  and 
preservation  of  its  equipment,  for  the  proper  perform- 
ance of  duties  connected  with  its  subsistence,  pay, 
clothing,  accounts  and  returns.  Officers  in  most  states 
are  permitted  to  attend  and  graduate  from  a  Service 
School  Course  of  three  years,  which  takes  up  Military 
Law,  Military  Hygiene,  Field  Service  Regulations,  Map 
Reading,  etc.  They  are  also  urged,  and  in  some  states 
required,  to  attend  an  officer's  school  held  once  a  year 
at  such  place  as  the  state  may  designate;  this  takes 
from  three  days  to  a  week  or  more.  Then  comes  the 
annual  camp.  Besides  these  the  officers  must  plan 
athletic  and  social  events  to  keep  the  enlistments  up. 
Then  there  is  the  monthly  officers'  meeting  at  head- 
quarters. From  time  to  time  the  regiment  is  ordered 
out  on  escort  duty.  Then  comes  the  company  shoot, 
the  regimental  shoot  and  the  state  shoot  and  the 
preparation  for  them,  and  the  captain  must  see  that 
every  man  in  his  company  has  pursued  the  required 


THE  OFFICERS  31 

course  in  rifle  practice.  He  is  supposed  to  be  present 
and  pay  his  respects  to  the  governor  at  all  public 
receptions,  is  constantly  subject  to  special  detail  and 
must  constantly  keep  studying  to  pass  Service  School 
examinations.  Then  a  good  deal  of  time  must  be 
spent  in  playing  the  American  modification  of  "The 
German  War  Game  or  Kriegspiel."  But  possibly  the 
hardest  work  he  has  is  keeping  the  men  interested, 
getting  them  out  to  drill  and  keeping  the  enlistment  up. 
Drill  nights  come  around  with  startling  rapidity  and 
cannot  be  put  off  to  please  individuals,  and  often  the 
work  seems  like  drudgery,  especially  if  a  dinner  or  some 
other  social  function  has  been  given  up  to  attend. 
The  man's  friends  tell  him  he  is  a  fool  to  stay  in  the 
service,  and  often  his  employer  objects.  Is  it,  then, 
surprising  that  it  is  hard  to  keep  the  ranks  filled.  One 
of  the  most  regrettable  conditions  existing  in  the  coun- 
try in  relation  to  militia  affairs  is  the  attitude  of  labor 
unions  toward  the  Organized  Militia.  It  is  well  under- 
stood that  these  unions  are,  to  say  the  least,  unsym- 
pathetically  disposed  toward  the  Organized  Militia. 
In  many  cases  the  sentiment  extends  to  the  limit  of 
actual  hostility  and  disbarment  of  members  of  the 
Organized  Militia  from  membership  in  the  unions. 
It  is  almost  hopeless  to  expect  any  relief  from  these 
conditions  by  the  enactment  of  state  laws  or  any  laws 
that  would  seek  to  restrain  the  labor  unions  from  their 
unfriendly  attitude.  The  most  serious  effect  is,  per- 
haps, that  it  operates  to  prevent  many  good  men  from 
becoming  members  of  militia  organizations.  The 


32  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

preaching  of  patriotism  has  no  effect,  and  urging  the 
fact  that  the  Organized  Militia  has  for  its  sole  object 
maintenance  of  law  and  order  has  already  failed  to  have 
any  influence  on  the  attitude  of  the  unions. 


THE  FEDERAL  PAY  BILL 

Says  Private  Pat  to  Corporal  Bill : 

"  Let's  go  an'  draw  our  pay 
We've  been  marchin'  in  the  mud  an'  slush, 

An'  sleepin'  in  the  hay. 
An'  I've  spoiled  me  shoes, 

An'  torn  me  shirt, 
An'  soaked  me  overcoat. 

I'll  be  needin'  several  kinds  of  clo'es 
When  we're  marching  off  the  boat." 

Says  Corporal  Bill  to  Private  Pat : 

"  Ho !    Pay  is  it !  —  See  here, 
You're  not  a  major-general 

Not  yet  a  brigadier; 
An'  them's  the  only  muts  aboard 

Wot  draws  Militia  Pay, 
An'  you're  lucky  that  you  weren't  assessed 

For  the  chance  to  go  away." 

The  civilian  can  be  of  great  service  to  the  Organized 
Militia  by  helping  along  legislature  that  will  result  in 
the  paying  of  the  officers  and  men  in  proportion  to  the 
time  they  give  to  the  work. 

33 


34  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

The  government  must  pay  the  militia  if  it  wishes  to 
retain  a  large  number  of  the  most  desirable  members. 
In  Massachusetts  and  one  or  two  other  states  the  men 
are  paid  by  the  state  for  certain  drills  provided  the 
attendance  averages  high  enough.  In  most  states 
pay  is  allowed  for  the  annual  tour  of  duty. 

In  most  organizations  of  the  Organized  Militia  it  is 
customary  for  the  men  to  sign  over  to  the  company 
treasurer  the  state  pay  for  the  annual  encampment,  to 
help  defray  expenses.  With  many  organizations  the 
men  are  assessed  dues  in  addition  so  that  it  often  proves 
expensive  belonging  to  the  National  Guard. 

During  the  past  year  the  most  important  matter 
considered  for  the  benefit  of  the  National  Guard  of 
the  United  States  has  been  the  so-called  Federal  Pay 
Bill. 

For  a  number  of  years,  questions  of  vital  interest 
to  the  National  Guard  have  been  annually  considered 
in  convention  by  the  National  Guard  Association  of 
the  United  States,  an  organization  comprising  repre- 
sentative officers  of  the  National  Guard  of  every  state 
in  the  Union. 

The  Association  met  in  the  fall  of  1910  in  St.  Louis, 
and  authorized  its  executive  committee,  of  which 
Major-General  Edward  C.  Young,  of  Illinois,  was 
chairman,  to  conduct  an  active  campaign  in  Congress 
for  the  passage  of  a  Federal  Pay  Bill,  and  although  many 
other  matters  of  the  highest  importance  to  the  efficiency 
of  the  National  Guard  as  well  as  the  Regular  Army 
were  brought  up  and  considered,  the  Convention  moved 


THE  FEDERAL  PAY  BILL  35 

that  the  Pay  Bill  take  precedence,  and  that  the  execu- 
tive committee  should  bend  all  its  efforts  towards 
its  passage. 

For  many  years,  the  citizen  soldier  has  given  his 
time  and  his  energy  to  winter  drills,  meetings  for  study 
and  summer  camps  and  maneuvers,  receiving  no 
recompense  for  his  efforts.  Company  commanders 
have  been  forced  to  use  the  greatest  diplomacy  in 
handling  their  men  in  order  that  they  might  be  able 
to  keep  a  full  enrollment,  for  an  officer,  to  obtain  rigid 
discipline  and  courtesy,  must  be  diplomatic  or  he  will 
lose  his  men  or  have  a  class  of  men  in  his  company  not 
wholly  desirable. 

Many  officers  who  are  young  and  enthusiastic,  and 
who  are  willing  to  study  and  work  hard  for  the  interest 
of  the  service  oftentimes  become  discouraged  or  dis- 
gusted over  the  lack  of  esprit  de  corps  and  either  resign 
or  do  just  enough  work  to  enable  them  to  hold  their 
positions.  The  amount  of  work  required  of  the  Na- 
tional Guard  officer  has  been  steadily  increasing  from 
year  to  year,  and  at  the  present  time,  most  states 
require  their  officers  to  attend  a  winter  service  school 
and  obtain  a  certain  standard  of  efficiency  in  examina- 
tions. They  are  also  required  to  attend  a  summer 
camp  school  as  well  as  an  annual  tour  of  duty  with  the 
troops  themselves. 

For  all  the  labor  outlined  above,  both  for  the  en- 
listed men  and  the  commissioned  officers,  they  have 
received  no  federal  pay,  except  in  the  case  of  the  Sum- 
mer Camp  of  Instruction. 


36  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

In  order  to  bring  the  National  Guard  up  to  the 
proper  state  of  efficiency  to  conform  with  the  Dick 
Bill,  and  to  make  our  citizen  soldiers  sufficiently  pro- 
ficient and  experienced  to  assume  the  field  in  case  of 
necessity,  it  is  obviously  necessary  that  something  be 
done  and  it  seems  fitting  that  our  national  govern- 
ment make  some  recognition  for  the  work  and  service 
required.  The  only  satisfactory  way  of  doing  this 
seems  to  embody  itself  in  the  Federal  Pay  Bill. 

The  executive  committee  of  the  National  Guard 
Association  used  every  effort  at  the  last  Congress  to 
have  this  bill  passed,  and  while  they  arrived  at  the 
verge  of  success,  they  were  unable  to  obtain  the  neces- 
sary two-thirds  vote  of  the  House  and  Senate  made 
necessary  by  special  ruling.  At  the  last  meeting  of  the 
National  Guard  Convention  held  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
on  October  9th,  10th,  and  llth,  1911,  the  executive 
committee  made  a  most  comprehensive  report  which 
was  enthusiastically  received  by  the  delegates  present, 
numbering  four  hundred,  and  representing  every  state 
in  the  Union  with  the  exception  of  Texas.  The  com- 
mittee recommended  the  adoption  of  the  following 
resolution : 

Whereas,  House  Bill  8141  and  Senate  Bill  1996, 
being  identical  bills  and  commonly  known  as  the 
"Militia  Pay  Bill,"  is  the  most  important  legislation 
ever  proposed  by  this  Association,  and  as  the  passage 
of  this  bill  is  absolutely  essential  to  the  further  progress 
of  the  National  Guard,  Resolved,  that  this  convention 
pledge  itself,  and  the  individual  members  thereof,  to 
use  their  utmost  endeavor  to  further  its  passage  through 


THE  FEDERAL  PAY  BILL  37 

both  Houses  of  Congress  at  the  next  session,  and  pledge 
their  active  co-operation  with  the  Executive  Committee. 

The  general  feeling  of  the  National  Guard  officers 
of  the  entire  country  seems  to  be  that  the  bill  should 
be  passed  by  Congress,  and  li  this  very  satisfactory 
solution  of  the  problem  is  brought  about  the  national 
government  will  control  a  body  of  citizen  soldiery 
or  militia  who  will  have  sufficient  incentive  to  stick, 
thus  producing  a  most  efficient,  able-bodied,  and  well- 
trained  army  ready  for  the  field. 


THE  ENLISTED  MAN 

THE  personnel  of  the  enlisted  man  varies  greatly; 
the  reason  for  this  is  that  on  one  hand  there 
may  be  a  company,  battery,  or  troop  with  a 
waiting  list  from  which  the  best  men  may  be  selected, 
while  on  the  other  a  captain  has  great  difficulty  in 
keeping  up  thip  enlisted  strength  and  is  forced  to  take 
less  desirable  men.  The  advantage  of  joining  the 
militia  is  not  apparent  to  the  average  person;  to  those 
who  have  neither  time  nor  inclination  to  look  into  the 
matter,  it  seems  like  a  lot  of  hard  work  with  no  return. 
This  is  not  true.  The  personal  gain  to  those  who 
participate  regularly  in  drills,  encampments  and  social 
affairs  of  the  militia  is  great.  It  increases  one's  capacity 
both  for  ready  obedience  and  for  prompt  assumption  of 
responsibility.  No  lesson  is  impressed  more  thor- 
oughly on  the  soldier  than  that  he  must  not  stop  to 
argue  a  fine  point  with  his  superior  officer.  Quick 
action  upon  command  is  essential  in  a  military  organiza- 
tion. Ability  to  take  the  initiative  means  advancement. 
Every  enlisted  man  is  taught  that  whatever  order  is 
issued  he  must  be  prepared  to  obey  without  error  or 
delay;  it  is  his  business  to  do  the  right  thing  at  the 
right  time.  The  average  American  youth  is  probably 
the  most  undisciplined  civilized  male  in  the  world. 
It  lessens  his  business  or  working  efficiency  seriously. 


38 


THE  ENLISTED  MAN  39 

For  this  reason  alone,  if  not  because  of  a  real  sense  of 
patriotic  duty,  the  father  of  to-day  should  make  a 
serious  effort  to  have  his  boy  serve  at  least  one  enlist- 
ment in  the  Organized  Militia. 

The  habit  of  unostentatiously  and  efficiently  con- 
tributing one's  personal  services  to  achieving  a  big 
unity  is  attained  by  most  men  only  as  a  result  of  just 
such  training  as  a  good  militia  company  affords.  One's 
connection  with  the  militia  gives  him  a  local  standing; 
it  identifies  one  with  law  and  order.  Comradeship  is 
promoted,  there  is  no  escaping  the  man  with  whom  you 
march  and  bivouac.  You  come  in  touch  with  men  from 
other  walks  of  life,  and  are  yourself  broadened  by  the 
contact.  The  armories  as  now  being  built  include 
bowling  alleys  and  pool  tables,  and  serve  as  clubs  for 
the  men.  If  a  man  is  at  his  armory  his  family  may  feel 
confident  of  his  welfare. 

While  motives  of  personal  advancement  like  the 
foregoing  may  very  properly  influence  the  young  man 
in  joining  the  militia,  his  prime  motive  should  be 
patriotic.  It  is  not  simply  that  one  gets  something 
from  the  service,  but  that  one  is  also  making  a  contri- 
bution to  the  common  welfare.  The  advantages  and 
the  fun  are  only  incidental;  the  duty  is  paramount. 

Each  man  is  provided  with  a  locker.  He  is  fitted 
to  two  uniforms,  a  Service  (of  olive  drab  wool)  and  a 
Dress  (of  blue).  His  equipment, if  in  the  infantry, is  as 
follows : 

One  United  States  magazine  rifle,  caliber  .30. 
One  bayonet. 


40  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

One  bayonet  scabbard. 

One  gun  sling. 

One  rifle  cartridge  belt  and  fasteners. 

One  pair  rifle  cartridge  belt  suspenders. 

One  first-aid  packet. 

One  canteen. 

One  canteen  strap. 

One  set  blanket-roll  straps. 

One  haversack. 

One  meat  can  (used  as  a  frying  pan). 

One  cup. 

One  knife. 

One  fork. 

One  spoon. 

One  shelter  tent,  half. 

Five  shelter  tent  pins. 

One  poncho  (rubber  blanket). 

One  blanket. 

One  pair  of  shoes. 

One  campaign  hat. 

One  housewife  (needle  and  thread). 

One  overcoat. 

One  entrenching  tool. 

This  equipment  must  be  kept  in  the  armory  and 
ready  for  immediate  use. 

He  must  attend  drills  when  ordered,  qualify  in 
shooting  once  a  year,  and  be  ready  to  report  for  duty 
when  called.  A  record  is  kept  in  the  armory  of  each 
man's  home  and  business  address,  and  nearest  tele- 
phone and  all  other  places  he  may  be  found,  and  fre- 
quent tests  have  proved  that  in  most  companies,  a 
high  percentage  report  within  an  hour  from  the  time 
an  alarm  call  is  sent  in. 


THE  ENLISTED  MAN  41 

The  non-commissioned  officers  are  selected  with  care 
and  judgment;  a  man,  to  become  a  corporal  or  a  ser- 
geant, must  have  honesty,  sobriety,  and  steadiness  and 
intelligent  knowledge  of  drills.  He  must  cheerfully 
obey  orders  and  be  a  man  who  can  exact  prompt 
obedience  from  those  to  whom  he  gives  orders. 

Officers  and  men  of  the  Organized  Militia,  when 
called  into  the  actual  service  of  the  United  States, 
receive  the  same  pay  and  allowances  as  the  officers 
and  men  of  the  Regular  Army.  Pay  commences  from 
the  day  of  appearance  in  pursuance  of  the  call  at  the 
place  of  company  rendezvous. 

When  any  officer,  non-commissioned  officer  or 
private  of  the  Organized  Militia  is  disabled  by  reason 
of  wounds  or  disabilities  received  or  incurred  in  the 
service  of  the  United  States,  he  is  entitled  to  all  of  the 
benefits  of  the  pension  laws  existing  at  the  time  of  his 
service;  and  in  case  such  officer,  non-commissioned 
officer  or  private  dies  in  the  service  of  the  United  States, 
or  in  returning  to  his  place  of  residence  after  being 
mustered  out  of  such  service,  or  at  any  time  in  conse- 
quence of  wounds  or  disabilities  received  in  such  ser- 
vice, his  widow  and  children,  if  any,  are  entitled  to  all 
the  benefits  of  the  federal  pension  laws. 


EFFICIENCY  OF  THE  NATIONAL  GUARD 

THE  efficiency  of  the  Organized  Militia  of  the 
United  States  varies  from  that  of  a  high  stand- 
ard to,  in  some  states,  a  much  lower  one. 
The  officers  and  men  of  some  state  forces  know  little 
even  of  their  elementary  duties.  Through  lack  of 
interest  and  financial  support  in  these  states  the  officers 
and  men  do  not  receive  sufficient  encouragement  to 
enthuse  them  to  the  point  of  giving  up  the  amount 
of  time  to  military  study  necessary  to  a  properly  in- 
structed guard.  Consequently  they  do  not  regard 
their  military  work  seriously,  but  look  on  it  too  much 
from  the  purely  social  side.  These  states  are  getting 
fewer  each  year,  they  see  the  dawn  of  a  new  era  in 
militia  life,  they  are  beginning  to  realize  the  time  for 
play,  carousing,  and  military  "glitter"  has  passed, 
and  that  the  states  who  look  at  the  matter  in  a  serious 
and  patriotic  light  are  in  the  majority.  The  in- 
competent and  "  unwilling-to-work "  officers  are  being 
forced  to  resign  for  the  good  of  the  service.  In  the 
majority  of  states  the  work  is  a  serious  matter  and  the 
time  and  work  that  is  required  of  the  men  by  many 
states  is  getting  to  be  so  great  that  many  officers  and 
men  find  it  a  matter  of  no  little  sacrifice  to  them,  their 
energy  and  their  money  to  perform  their  duties  prop- 
erly as  militiamen.  However  keen  a  military  interest 


42 


EFFICIENCY  OF  NATIONAL  GUARD        43 

they  may  have  in  their  work,  it  is  found  often  to  be  a 
matter  that  affects  the  interests  of  others  than  them- 
selves in  giving  so  much  of  their  time,  their  energies 
of  mind  and  body,  and  their  means  to  this  duty.  In 
many  cases  some  of  the  best  officers  and  enlisted  men 
have  found  it  necessary  to  give  up  their  connection 
with  the  Organized  Militia  because  of  the  fact  that, 
in  their  opinion,  the  sacrifices  made  were  not  justified 
with  a  due  regard  to  the  interests  of  their  business  or 
of  their  families.  The  United  States  should  make  pay- 
ments to  officers  and  men  throughout  the  year  that 
would  fairly  liquidate  the  obligation  of  the  general 
government  toward  these  individuals  for  the  sacrifices 
made  by  them  in  preparing  themselves  for  national 
defense. 

Reports  on  the  National  Guard  and  comparisons 
of  the  different  states  are  available  and  have  a  tendency 
to  correct  existing  evils,  for,  as  John  Morris  once  said, 
"Our  discontent  arises  from  comparison;  were  better 
states  unseen,  man  would  like  his  own." 

Most  states  have  the  right  material  but  not  the 
proper  directing  force. 

The  government  supplies  the  equipment  but  the 
states  must  furnish  a  place  to  keep  and  use  it.  With 
the  exception  of  a  few  states  the  armory  facilities  pro- 
vided are  inadequate,  both  for  storage  purposes  and 
for  drill.  The  instruction  and  training  of  the  Organized 
Militia,  involving  the  school  of  the  soldier,  the  squad, 
and  of  the  company  —  all  that  goes  to  make  the  in- 
dividual soldier  well  disciplined,  and  the  elementary 


44  "TIN  SOLDIERS " 

drill  of  the  small  military  units  to  make  the  company 
compact  and  responsive  to  the  orders  of  its  captain 
in  close  order  drills,  and  the  instruction  in  the  little 
things  connected  with  guard  duty  and  military  cere- 
monies —  must  take  place  in  armories.  If  the  building 
is  not  built  and  used  especially  for  an  armory,  but  is 
rented  for  public  and  social  gatherings  of  various  kinds, 
the  work  of  the  company  is  seriously  interfered  with. 
A  good  substantial  brick  armory,  with  bowling  alleys, 
pool  tables,  etc.,  gives  the  local  company  prestige, 
attracts  recruits,  and  facilitates  the  work  generally. 

The  mounted  branches  of  the  service  are  especially 
neglected.  With  few  exceptions  there  are  no  armories 
for  the  mounted  arms.  The  cavalry  and  field  artillery 
have  to  depend  upon  public  stables  for  horses,  which 
are  often  hard  to  secure. 

The  small  arms  practice  is  given  much  attention. 
An  army  of  men  who  could  not  shoot  would  be  of  little 
use.  As  a  rule  the  American  boy  takes  to  shooting  as 
a  duck  takes  to  water,  and  the  opportunities  which  the 
militia  offers  for  this  sport  cause  many  a  good  man  to 
enlist. 

About  one-fourth  of  the  government  appropriation 
for  the  militia  is  expended  for  ammunition  used  in 
target  practice;  to  this  most  states  add  funds,  while  in 
many  cases  company  funds  are  drawn  upon  and  in- 
dividuals are  often  called  upon  personally  to  stand  the 
cost  of  qualifying.  Following  is  a  comparative  classi- 
fication of  rifle  and  pistol  firing. 


State  or 
Territory 

•eg 

M  W 
C 

fr| 

I] 

co»a 

en 

Marksmen 

First-class 
men 

il 

Jj 

Third-clasa 
men 

51 
II 

Fig.  of  Merit 

<£<£ 

li 

<5l 
•a* 

|| 

1909 

1908 

Alabama  

17 
24 
14 
50 
81 
163 
1* 

121 

13 
17 

6 
9 
34 
35 
11 
7 

15 

70 
90 
144 
827 
136 
789 
29 
67 

202 

259 
20 
121 
162 
31 
79 
8 
48 

86 

397 
18 
152 
126 
18 
90 

1  * 

47 
93 

534 
51 
502 
319 
33 
914 
152 
186 

431 

1,135 
366 
41 
1,335 
405 
630 
141 
760 

2,146 

1  23.49 
32.87 
40.61 
40.91 
!   52.11 
45.68 
29.17 
15.94 

20.06 

'44!69 
41.87 
50.80 
52.07 
49.85 
10.68 
11.01 

15.63 

15.92 

1,290 
220 
939 
1,493 
333 
2,070 
233 
367 

948 



Arkansias  
California 

228 
160 
90 
42 
4 

Colorado  
Connecticut  .... 
Delaware 

Florida  

Georgia  

Hawaii 

Idaho  

29 
319 
138 
263 
164 
14 

23 
353 
101 
184 
29 
3 

176 
155 
397 
1,077 
321 
239 

9 
429 
162 
184 
75 
117 

6 
614 
144 
171 
69 
120 

10 
2,768 
231 
351 
197 
616 

9 

749 
770 
805 
802 
648 

166.58 
42.08 
53.66 
70.43 
48.46 
27.36 

'26  '.69 
41.19 
74.62 
41.83 
12.19 

253 
4,638 
1,173 
2,230 
855 
1,130 

23 

Indiana  
Iowa  

139 
108 
14 

Kansas 

Kentucky 

Louisiana  

Maine  
Maryland  
Massachusetts  .  . 
Michigan  
Minnesota  
Mississippi  
Missouri  
Montana  

103 
230 
986 
184 
106 
17 
87 
32 
16 

56 
26 
99 
69 
92 
1 
20 
18 
9 

245 
1,062 
2,540 
379 
720 
79 
298 
90 
195 

44 
64 
411 
138 
143 
187 
199 
109 
57 

50 
61 
164 
163 
171 
229 
211 
33 
159 

325 
225 
327 
1,149 
409 
56 
562 
44 
375 

511 

367 
682 
591 
883 
803 
1,891 
150 
378 

46.89 
81.67 
97.59 
43.04 
51.65 
27.32 
24.52 
59.59 
33.66 

40.85 
85.98 
100.14 
33.73 
55.74 
8.59 
27.17 
29.39 
32.61 

823 
1,668 
4,527 
2,082 
1,641 
569 
1,377 
326 
811 

37 
128 
1,014 
32 
112 

"5i 

58 

Nebraska 

New  Hampshire 
New  Jersey    .... 
New  Mexico    .  .  . 
New  York    

68 
329 
6 

16 
66 
14 

162 
1,266 
13 

7 
251 
26 

9 
271 
25 

533 
1,157 
105 

311 
632 
58 
4,439 

34.81 
62.25 
35.83 

49.78 
47.72 
32.03 

795 
3,340 
189 
11,319 
1,634 
387 
4,809 
394 
964 

9,513 
1,022 

150 
381 

322 
55 

North  Carolina  . 
North  Dakota  .  . 
Ohio  

2 
35 
268 
24 
119 

1,029 
49 

12 
115 
6 
80 

143 
154 

161 
82 
1,938 
55 
301 

4,042 
490 

201 
52 
489 
46 
85 

1,872 
69 

326 
65 
503 
68 
91 

1,422 
26 

944 
141 
1,496 
195 
288 

537 
234 

79 
220 
499 
520 
359 

1,976 
124 

33.46 
42.11 
64.32 
21.88 
60.32 

76.97 
79.16 

14.85 
35.42 
45.05 

'47  '.74 

68.78 
80.51 

427 

Oklahoma  
Oregon 

72 

969 
375 

Pennsylvania  .  .  . 
Rhode  Island  .  .  . 
South  Carolina  . 

South  Dakota  .. 
Tennessee  

"i9 
27 
9 
25 

"io 

35 
10 
14 

49 
234 
179 
32 
321 

60 
132 
326 
23 
72 

101 
195 
273 
18 
52 

254 
472 
292 
43 
105 

39 
380 
1,466 
236 
186 

33.78 
36.80 
26.78 
25.75 
62.26 

34.96 
16.07 

464 
1,062 
1,132 
135 
589 



Texas 

Utah 



Vermont 

29.86 

Virginia 

Washington  .... 
West  Virginia  .. 
Wisconsin  
Wyoming  

282 
21 
456 
15 

53 
55 
226 
19 

330 
528 
1,379 
50 

39 
144 
291 
9 

34 
120 
246 
4 

118 
197 
323 

204 
305 
47 
135 

97.32 
61.33 
101.20 

94.89 
43.94 
85.51 
76.22 

856 
1,065 
2,921 
98 

"29 
369 

Total  

6,107 

2,288 

22,795 

7,378 

7,227 

18,406 

29,746 

76,009 

5,471 

46  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

When  the  small  arms  for  which  appropriations  have 
already  been  made  are  manufactured  the  United  States 
will  have  on  hand  675,000  Springfield  rifles  of  the  latest 
model.  The  government  had  on  hand  in  June,  1911,  a 
reserve  of  approximately  152,000,000  rounds  of  small 
arms  ammunition,  less  than  a  single  day's  supply  for 
an  army  of  600,000  in  battle. 


DRILL  REGULATIONS 

THE  War  Department  issued  in  1911  a  new  book  of 
infantry  drill  regulations,  compiled  by  a  board 
of  military  experts.  The  constantly  changing 
conditions  makes  a  revision  of  the  drill  regulations 
necessary  every  few  years.  This  latest  revision  is  of 
unusual  importance.  In  the  old  book  close  order  drill 
occupied  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  pages,  in  the 
new  book  it  is  cut  down  to  fifty  pages,  and  the  space 
devoted  to  extended  order,  field  service  and  combat  has 
increased  as  much  as  the  other  has  been  cut.  The  day 
of  shoulder  to  shoulder,  rank  behind  rank  fighting 
is  over;  this  comes  as  a  development  of  long  range, 
rapid-fire  artillery,  machine  gun  and  rifle,  making 
tactics  employed  as  late  as  the  Civil  War  suicidal 
to-day.  This  long-distance  shooting  has  developed 
long-distance  fighting  and  extended  order  drill,  evolving 
a  new  school  of  tactics.  The  experience  of  the  British 
during  the  early  period  of  the  Boer  War  demonstrates 
the  futility  of  these  old-style  tactics  against  an  enemy 
using  the  extended  order  of  to-day. 

It  is  written  with  especial  regard  to  the  National 
Guard,  the  authors  realizing  we  would  never  have  a 
large  Regular  Army  and  that  our  drill  regulations 
should  be  simple  so  that  troops  could  be  put  as  near 
as  possible  to  a  war  footing  without  long  technical 
training  in  the  ceremonious  details. 


47 


THE  FIRST  FIELD  ARMY 

IN  1910  the  first  definite  step  was  taken  toward  com- 
bining the  Organized  Militia  with  the  Regular 
Army  in  a  tactical  way  in  time  of  peace  for  mobili- 
zation for  field  service  operations  in  time  of  war.  The 
assistant  secretary  of  war  first  enunciated  the  policy 
of  the  War  Department  in  regard  to  this  matter  at  the 
meeting  of  the  National  Guard  Association  at  Boston, 
1908.  It  is  purely  a  paper  organization  and  merely 
indicative  of  what  might  be  done  in  case  the  President 
should  call  the  Organized  Militia  of  the  states  to  the 
service  of  the  United  States. 

Any  general  military  system  must  rest  upon  the 
military  division  as  the  unit  of  organization.  It  is  the 
lowest  unit  which  includes  troops  of  all  arms  and  is 
complete  and  available  for  independent  military 
operations.  It  is  important  that  all  concerned  with 
military  legislation,  both  civilians  and  soldiers,  should 
have  definitely  in  mind  the  normal  composition  of  the 
military  division. 

The  War  Department  has  not  at  the  present  time 
carried  the  scheme  of  combined  mobilization  of  Regu- 
lars and  Organized  Militia  beyond  three  divisions,  in- 
volving the  states  of  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Vermont, 
Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  Connecticut  and  New 
York. 


48 


GENERAL  OFFICERS 

THE  greatest  weakness  of  the  system  is  the  general 
officers.  There  are  a  few  notable  exceptions, 
but  take  them  as  a  whole  they  would  render 
inefficient,  through  no  fault  of  their  own  save  inex- 
perience, the  best  trained  troops  in  the  world.  They 
are  all  estimable  gentlemen,  but  tacticians,  never — and 
why  should  they  be?  They  are  men  who  have  spent 
their  lifetime  in  building  up  their  business  or  pursuing 
their  professions.  But  you  may  say  that  they  have 
spent  a  great  deal  of  time  on  the  military.  Granted, 
but  a  great  deal  of  the  time  so  spent,  as  already  ex- 
plained, has  been  devoted  to  the  business,  social  and 
recruiting  end  of  the  "game" — a  most  important  duty, 
it  is  true,  but  one  that  leaves  little  time  to  study  tactics 
and  field  administration.  A  general  officer  must  be 
exceptionally  efficient  as  his  duties  are  exceptionally 
difficult.  In  the  National  Guard  no  general  has  the 
time  or  opportunity  to  obtain  the  necessary  experience 
in  exercising  actual  command  over  brigades  or  divi- 
sions of  troops.  It  is  rarely  possible,  except  in  the  large 
states  to  assemble  even  a  regiment  for  more  than  one 
week  of  the  year. 

The  young  men  who  enlist  in  the  National  Guard 
should  have,  when  ordered  into  the  service  of  the 
United  States,  the  very  best  general  and  staff  officers 


49 


50  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

that  the  country  can  produce.  It  is  due  to  the  mothers, 
wives  and  sweethearts  of  these  young  men,  and  they 
should  demand  it.  If  maneuvers  are  an  indication  of 
what  will  happen  in  war,  the  present  system  will  cer- 
tainly cause  the  "sheep"  to  be  led  to  slaughter.  We 
have  spent  millions  in  securing  the  conviction  of  worth- 
less murderers  yet  in  every  war  in  our  history  we  have 
cheerfully  sent  out  our  sons  to  be  murdered  by  the 
thousands  because  of  the  inefficiency  or  inexperience 
of  political  generals. 

There  are  two  remedies,  either  of  which  would  re- 
quire legislation  to  put  them  into  effect:  first, —  that 
militia  organizations  ordered  into  the  service  of  the 
United  States  be  limited  to  regiments,  thereby  placing 
the  appointment  of  general  officers  in  the  hands  of  the 
federal  government;  second, —  if  the  present  plan  of 
ordering  out  complete  organizations,  whether  divisions 
or  brigades,  stands,  that  all  the  general  officers  be 
selected  from  the  regular  service,  due  consideration 
being  had  for  officers  who  understood  the  limitations 
of  the  Organized  Militia  as  well  as  its  competency. 

These  plans,  of  course,  are  radical  and  would  meet 
with  a  great  deal  of  opposition.  Before  proposing 
them,  it  would  be  necessary  to  go  into  details.  In  civil 
life,  in  seeking  an  expert  in  any  line,  we  go  to  men  who 
have  spent  their  lifetime  in  that  particular  line  of  work, 
as,  for  example,  if  we  were  looking  for  a  man  to  act  as 
chief  engineer  of  a  railroad,  we  would  look  among 
railroad  engineers;  if  we  wanted  a  man  to  take  charge 
of  an  epidemic  of  typhoid  fever  in  a  town  we  would 


GENERAL  OFFICERS  51 

expect  to  find  such  a  man  among  the  sanitary  experts; 
if  we  were  looking  for  an  expert  first  baseman,  we  would 
expect  to  find  him  among  professional  baseball  players. 

The  matter  of  reserving  to  the  state  authorities  the 
right  to  appoint  the  officers  after  the  organizations 
have  been  ordered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States 
is  wrong.  The  Organized  Militia  in  whole  or  in  part 
would  be  ordered  out  if  necessary,  to  co-operate  with 
the  regulars.  After  all  the  Organized  Militia  is  called 
our  volunteers  would  be  called  upon. 

According  to  the  present  law,  officers  in  these  three 
forces  would  take  command  in  their  respective  grades 
according  to  the  dates  of  their  commissions,  as  follows : 
1.  Regulars;  2.  Organized  Militia;  3.  Volunteers. 
In  any  case  in  which  the  Organized  Militia  is  called 
into  the  service  of  the  United  States,  there  are  going  to 
be  a  great  many  resignations  among  the  officers,  es- 
pecially in  the  higher  grades.  This  will,  of  course, 
produce  very  rapid  promotions  in  the  militia  and  there 
will  be,  in  spite  of  everything  that  can  be  done  to  the 
contrary,  officers  appointed  to  be  colonels  and  general 
officers  who  have  had  very  little  practical  experience. 
This  was  done  in  1898  and  we  may  expect  that  it  will 
be  repeated.  These  officers  will  rank,  and  therefore  take 
command,  over  officers  of  the  volunteers  of  the  same 
grade,  whatever  the  dates  of  the  commissions.  Many 
of  these  officers  of  the  volunteers  will  be  carefully  se- 
lected from  among  the  officers  of  the  regular  service, 
officers  who  have  seen  service  in  our  previous  wars,  and 
it  is  not  right  that  a  militia  officer  of  less  service  should 


52  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

take  command  over  them.  For  instance,  it  is  per- 
fectly thinkable  that  we  should  have  officers  of  the 
Regular  Army,  who  are  graduates  of  West  Point,  the 
Fort  Leavenworth  schools  and  the  Army  War  College, 
with  twenty  or  twenty-five  years'  service  to  their  credit, 
and  appointed  colonels  of  volunteers,  who  would  have 
to  relinquish  command  when  in  the  presence  of  a  colonel 
of  militia,  whatever  the  dates  of  their  inspection  com- 
missions. 

A  partial  remedy  for  the  evil  of  giving  militia  officers 
command  over  volunteer  officers  of  the  same  grade 
is  to  give  both  rank  according  to  the  dates  of  their  com- 
missions. 

Any  sane  person  will  admit  that  general  officers 
should  be  men  of  practical  experience  and  until  the 
general  officers  of  the  Organized  Militia  are  replaced 
with  officers  carefully  selected  from  the  Regular  Army, 
this  will  not  be  so  except  in  isolated  instances. 


THE  MOBILE  ARMY 

GENERAL  EVANS,  U.  S.  A.,  in  his  report  of 
January  1,  1912,  says  that: 

"Under  the  present  laws  the  Secretary  of 
War  has  not  the  power  to  dictate  to  the  states  the 
particular  character  of  troops  which  should  be  raised. 
The  most  that  he  can  do  is  to  advise  them,  and,  by 
pointing  out  their  present  deficiencies  and  showing 
the  necessity  for  making  good  these  deficiencies,  to 
attempt  to  secure  a  properly  balanced  force  such  as 
would  be  necessary  for  active  service  in  the  field.  It  is 
thought  that  as  a  rule  the  sad  results  that  would  in- 
evitably follow  a  campaign  in  which  the  Organized 
Militia  participated  as  at  present  constituted  are  not 
generally  appreciated  by  the  Organized  Militia. 
For  instance,  to  push  forward  the  large  number  of 
organized  infantry  inadequately  equipped  with  field 
artillery,  inadequately  provided  with  sanitary  troops 
to  care  for  the  wounded,  inadequately  equipped  with 
signal  troops  to  keep  the  parts  of  the  command  in 
touch,  and  inadequately  assisted  by  cavalry,  would 
inevitably  lead  to  a  misfortune  which  would  draw 
down  upon  the  military  authorities  the  indignation 
of  the  people  of  the  United  States  from  one  end  of  the 
land  to  the  other.  Actually,  therefore,  there  is  no  part 
of  the  military  force  that  has  a  more  vital  interest  in 


53 


54  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

securing  a  properly  balanced  army  than  has  the  Or- 
ganized Militia  itself,  and  especially  the  infantry  part. 
The  Regular  Army  should  be  a  properly  balanced  force; 
the  Organized  Militia  should  also  be  a  properly  balanced 
force.  In  neither  case  does  the  power  to  secure  such  a 
proper  balance  rest  with  the  War  Department.  In 
both  cases  it  can  merely  recommend  to  the  proper 
authority  that  the  forces  be  so  balanced,  and  state  the 
reasons  why  such  a  composition  is  necessary.  In  so 
far  as  the  Organized  Militia  is  concerned,  the  proper 
authorities  to  correct  the  present  situation  are  the 
militia  authorities  of  the  different  states  and  terri- 
tories and  the  District  of  Columbia.  Advantage 
is  therefore  taken  of  the  present  occasion  to  call  the 
attention  of  these  authorities  to  the  absolute  necessity 
of  a  reversal  of  the  present  plan  of  continuing  to  increase 
the  infantry  at  the  expense  of  all  the  other  troops  which 
are  necessary  to  render  the  already  existing  infantry 
effective  on  the  battle  field.  It  is  hoped  that  the 
statements  which  have  been  made  herein  as  to  the  un- 
wisdom of  continuing  to  increase  the  infantry  alone  will 
be  maturely  considered  by  the  state  authorities  and  that 
progress  will  be  made  toward  securing  all  the  other 
troops  which  are  necessary  in  order  to  utilize  the  in- 
fantry already  in  existence.  It  is  not  recommended 
that  any  existing  infantry  regiments  be  disbanded 
merely  for  the  purpose  of  creating  auxiliary  troops, 
but  it  is  thought  that  no  further  increase  should  be 
made  in  the  number  of  infantry  organizations  and  that 
all  efforts  of  everybody  from  now  on  should  be  bent 


THE  MOBILE  ARMY  55 

toward  bringing  up  to  the  proper  number  the  aux- 
iliary troops  to  support  this  infantry.  This  division 
can  do  no  more  than  to  place  before  the  responsible 
authorities,  namely,  the  militia  authorities  of  the 
various  states,  a  statement  of  our  present  situation; 
its  remedy  lies  in  their  hands. 

"Sections  5  and  7  of  the  act  of  Congress  approved 
January  21,  1903,  as  amended  by  the  act  approved 
May  27,  1908,  read: 

That  when  the  military  needs  of  the  Federal  Gov- 
ernment, arising  from  the  necessity  to  execute  the  laws 
of  the  Union,  suppress  insurrection,  or  repel  invasion, 
cannot  be  met  by  the  regular  forces,  the  Organized 
Militia  shall  be  called  into  the  service  of  the  United 
States  in  advance  of  any  volunteer  force  which  it 
may  be  determined  to  raise. 

"Section  7: 

That  every  officer  and  enlisted  man  of  the  militia, 
who  shall  be  called  forth  in  the  manner  hereinbefore 
prescribed  shall  be  mustered  for  service  without 
further  enlistment  and  without  further  medical  exami- 
nation previous  to  such  muster  except  for  those  states 
and  territories  which  have  not  adopted  the  standard 
of  medical  examination  prescribed  for  the  Regular 
Army. 

"From  these  two  sections  it  is  apparent  that  in  case 
of  any  emergency  arising  which  would  necessitate  the 
calling  out  of  large  bodies  of  troops  it  was  the  intention 
of  Congress  that  the  Organized  Militia  should  be  called 
out  either  with  the  Regular  Army  or  immediately 


56  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

thereafter  and  that  no  volunteer  force  can  be  raised 
until  the  Organized  Militia  has  been  called  into  the 
service.  It  was  undoubtedly  intended  that  the  Regular 
Army  and  the  Organized  Militia  should  be  combined 
as  one  force  forming  the  first  line  and  that  any  volun- 
teer forces  that  might  be  necessary  should  be  organized 
under  the  cover  of  this  first  line.  Such  being  the  case, 
it  is  apparent  that  the  Organized  Militia  should  be  in 
such  a  state  of  readiness,  both  as  to  organization  and 
equipment,  as  to  be  ready  for  immediate  field  service. 
Whenever  an  emergency  has  arisen  in  the  past  necessi- 
tating the  calling  out  of  large  bodies  of  troops  the 
American  people,  with  their  natural  impatience,  have 
insisted  upon  pushing  troops  at  once  to  the  front  without 
regard  to  the  length  of  time  that  is  required  to  properly 
prepare  them  for  field  service.  Assuming  that  this 
impatience  will  manifest  itself  again,  the  Regular 
Army  will  be  at  once  pushed  to  the  front  in  whatever 
state  of  readiness  it  may  be,  and  all  deficiencies  in  men, 
equipment,  and  supplies  will  there  be  made  good  as 
fast  as  practicable.  In  the  same  way  the  Organized 
Militia  will  be  sent  to  join  the  Regular  Army  after 
being  reasonably  but  not  fully  equipped,  and  after 
arrival  at  the  front  its  deficiencies  will  also  be  made 
good  as  rapidly  as  possible.  The  two  forces  —  namely, 
the  Regular  Army  and  the  Organized  Militia,  having 
come  together,  will  then  be  combined  into  a  single 
force  as  homogeneous  as  possible.  The  War  Depart- 
ment has  established  the  principle  that  the  combination 
of  regulars  and  militia  in  such  cases  shall  be  in  the  pro- 


THE  MOBILE  ARMY  57 

portion  of  one  regular  to  two  militia.  Whether  this 
combination  will  take  place  in  divisions,  brigades, 
regiments,  or  smaller  units  is  not  known,  nor  is  it 
material  to  the  present  discussion  what  the  combining 
unit  may  be.  The  essential  feature  is  the  assumption 
that  there  will  be  one  regular  to  every  two  militia. 
It  is  not  thought  that  a  larger  proportion  of  militia 
could,  with  safety,  be  combined  with  fewer  regulars. 
In  fact,  considering  the  many  deficiencies  as  a  fighting 
force  that  inherently  belong  to  a  citizen  soldiery  when 
first  put  into  the  field,  it  is  believed  that  two  militia 
to  one  regular  is  the  extreme  proportion  that  can  be 
adopted  with  a  reasonable  prospect  of  securing  a  fairly 
effective  force,  and  that  the  proportion  of  one  to  one 
would  be  much  safer,  However,  in  this  discussion  we 
will  assume  the  proportion  of  one  to  two  for  the  mobile 
army. 

"The  scheme  for  the  defense  of  the  United  States 
against  an  invasion  consists,  first,  of  the  Navy,  which 
must  be  free  to  take  the  sea  and  attack  the  enemy's 
navy.  To  enable  this  to  be  done  a  line  is  established, 
consisting  of  the  coast  defenses,  comprising  heavy 
guns,  mortars,  submarine  mines,  scout  vessels,  and 
various  accessories,  all  intended  to  prevent  the  enemy's 
ships  from  capturing  or  bombarding  seacoast  cities  or 
securing  an  anchorage  in  harbors  and  the  establishment 
of  a  base. 

"Supports  are  provided  for  the  protection  of  these 
seacoast  forts  from  attack  from  the  rear  by  relatively 
small  parties  of  the  enemy  while  engaged  by  hostile 


58  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

ships  in  front.  These  troops,  designated  Coast  Ar- 
tillery supports,  consist  of  infantry,  cavalry,  and  field 
artillery.  They  were  unnecessary  when  seacoast  forts 
were  highwalled  inclosures,  with  surrounding  moat 
on  the  land  front.  The  artillery  troops  forming  the 
garrison  were  expected  to  defend  the  works  from  attack 
from  all  sides.  To-day  these  "forts,"  consist  of  de- 
tached works,  concrete  and  earth  embankments, 
separated  by  considerable  distances,  and  having  a 
field  of  fire  to  the  front  only.  Behind  these  embank- 
ments the  guns  are  mounted,  protected  from  the  front, 
completely  exposed  from  the  rear. 

"There  are,  of  course,  long  stretches  of  the  coast 
where  there  are  no  fortifications  and  where  it  would 
be  perfectly  feasible  for  an  enemy's  force  to  land.  This 
force  might,  with  the  modern  means  of  transportation, 
be  a  very  large  one  and  complete  so  as  to  conduct  an 
aggressive  campaign.  For  the  purpose  of  meeting  such 
a  force  as  this  the  mobile  army  is  intended.  It  there- 
fore becomes  important  to  examine  into  the  composi- 
tion of  such  a  mobile  army,  which  would  be  composed 
of  the  Regular  Army  and  the  Organized  Militia  in  the 
proportions  we  have  assumed  —  namely,  two  of  militia 
to  one  of  the  Regular  Army. 

"The  last  reports  of  the  strength  of  the  Organized 
Militia  show  the  following: 

Number  of  mobile  organizations  in  organized  militia 

Infantry  regiments 141 

Cavalry  regiments 6 


THE  MOBILE  ARMY  59 

Field  Artillery  regiments *8| 

Engineer  battalions   5 

Signal  troop  battalions 12 

Ambulance  companies |20 

Field  hospitals f20 

The  militia  of  the  Hawaiian  Territory  not  consid- 
ered. It  would  be  available  for  duty  with  the  detach- 
ment on  foreign  service. 

"Since  the  bulk  of  an  army  is  the  infantry,  the 
strength  of  this  army  must  be  used  in  determining  how 
much  Regular  Army  there  should  be  to  combine  with 
the  above  Organized  Militia;  therefore,  the  above 
141  regiments  of  militia  infantry  would  require 
141-j-2=:70  regiments  of  Regular  Infantry  to  combine 
in  the  proportion  of  one  regular  to  two  militia.  This 
would  give  a  total  of  211  regiments  of  infantry. 

"The  basis  of  all  organizations  of  armies  is  the 
division.  This  is  the  smallest  unit  that  combines 
troops  of  all  arms  of  service  —  namely,  infantry,  field 
artillery,  cavalry,  engineers,  signal  troops,  etc.  It 
is  the  smallest  unit  that  is  independent  in  itself.  As 
given  in  field  service  regulations,  the  composition  of  a 
division  is  three  brigades  or  nine  regiments  of  infantry, 
one  brigade  or  two  regiments  or  twelve  batteries  of 
field  artillery,  one  regiment  of  cavalry,  one  battalion 
of  four  companies  of  engineers,  one  battalion  of  two 
companies  of  signal  troops,  four  ambulance  companies, 
and  four  field  hospitals. 

"Converting  the  211  regiments  of  infantry,  the  total 

*Deficient  1  Battery. 

fNot  all  organized,  but  personnel  sufficient. 


60 


"TIN  SOLDIERS" 


regular  and  militia  referred  to,  into  divisions,  we  would 
have  211-^-9=23  divisions,  and  completing  the  organi- 
zation of  the  divisions  by  adding  the  other  troops  we 
would  have: 

Organizations  in  23  divisions 

Infantry  regiments 201 

Cavalry  regiments 23 

Field  Artillery  regiments 46 

Engineer  battalions 23 

Signal  troop  battalions 23 

Ambulance  companies 92 

Field  hospitals 92 

"  Assuming  that  two-thirds  of  the  above  force  is  to  be 
Organized  Militia  and  one-third  regulars,  the  strength 
of  each  in  the  above  should  be,  disregarding  fractions : 


Infantry 
regi- 
ments 

Cavalry 
regi- 
ments 

Field 
Artil'ry 
regi- 
ments 

Engineer 
battal- 
ions 

Signal 
troop 
battal- 
ions 

Ambu- 
lance 
com- 
panies 

w- 

Militia   
Regulars  

134 
67 

15 

8 

31 
15 

15 
8 

15 

8 

61 
31 

61 
31 

"Accepting  these  figures  as  to  what  the  strength 
should  be  and  comparing  it  with  the  actual  strength, 
gives  us  the  following: 


ORGANIZED  MILITIA 


Infantry 
regi- 
ments 

Cavalry 
regi- 
ments 

Field 
Artillery 
regi- 
ments 

Engineer 
battal- 
ions 

Signal 
troop 
battal- 
ions 

Ambu- 
lance 
com- 
panies 

Field 
hospi- 
tals 

Should  be  
Actually  are  .  . 

Deficiency   . 

134 
141 

15 
6 

31 
8 

15 
5 

15 

12 

61 
20 

61 
20 

*7 

0 

23 

10 

3 

41 

41 

*  Excess. 


THE  MOBILE  ARMY 


61 


REGULAR  ARMY 


Strength  

30 

15 

6 

4 

3 

6 

0 

Troops  on  foreign  service  

14 

3 

?!} 

?, 

? 

? 

? 

Available     within    continental    limits    of 
the  United  States  

16 

12 

3* 

2 

1 

4 

4 

"  If  we  now  deduct  this  available  regular  army  from 
the  regular  troops  called  for  under  this  combining 
scheme,  we  have  the  following: 


Infantry 
regi- 
ments 

Cavalry 
regi- 
ments 

Field 
Artillery 
regi- 
ments 

Engineer 
battal- 
ions 

Signal 
troop 
battal- 
ions 

Ambu- 
lance 
com- 
panies 

Field 
hospi- 
tals 

Should  be    
Actually  are    ... 

Deficiency  .  .  . 

67 
16 

8 
12 

15 
3* 

8 
2 

8 
1 

31 
4 

31 
4 

49 

*4 

1H 

6 

7 

27 

27 

"To  sum  up,  therefore,  it  is  at  once  apparent  that  in 
combining  the  Regular  Army  and  Organized  Militia, 
and  wherever  one  is  in  excess,  deducting  it  from  the 
deficiency  of  the  other,  we  shall  meet  with  the  following 
deficiencies : 


Infantry 
regi- 
ments 

Cavalry 
regi- 
ments 

Field 
Artillery 
regi- 
ments 

Engineer 
battal- 
ions 

Signal 
troop 
battal- 
ions 

Ambu- 
lance 
com- 
panies 

Field 

"±- 

In  the  militia  .  .  . 

9 

23 

10 

3 

41 

41 

In   the   Regular 
Army  

42 

*4 

HI 

6 

7 

27 

27 

Total  deficiency 

42 

5 

34* 

16 

10 

68 

68 

"The  deficiency  in  cavalry  would  be  further  aug- 
mented by  the  necessity  of  organizing  separate  cavalry 
brigades  and  divisions  in  a  force  of  this  magnitude.  It 
therefore  becomes  apparent  that  considering  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Regular  Army  arid  of  the  militia  as  they  are 
to-day  and  the  proportion  of  the  different  arms  existing 

*  Excess. 


62  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

in  either  the  Regular  Army  or  in  the  Organized  Militia, 
that  a  combined  effective  force  cannot  be  obtained 
from  existing  organizations.  This  is  due,  in  the 
Organized  Militia,  to  deficiency  in  the  field  artillery, 
engineer,  signal,  cavalry,  and  sanitary  components. 

"Another  way,  and  probably  a  better,  to  look  at  his 
question  of  combination,  is  to  assume  that  between 
450,000  and  500,000  men  should  be  available  for  the 
first  line  of  defense.  These  figures  are  regarded  as 
reasonable,  but  must  not  be  understood  as  in  any  sense 
representing  the  conclusions  arrived  at  by  the  War 
Department.  The  figures  are  merely  assumed  here  as 
a  basis  upon  which  to  make  an  examination  into  the 
composition  of  such  a  force.  Such  a  force  would  be 
sufficient  to  provide  for  eighteen  divisions,  two  cavalry 
divisions,  six  auxiliary  divisions,  and  provide  separate 
brigades,  coast  artillery  supports,  troops  for  the  line 
of  communication,  etc.  If  we  analyze  such  a  force 
into  its  components  and  select  the  mobile  army  part  we 
would  have  a  force  consisting  of: 

Infantry  regiments 190 

Cavalry  regiments 31 

Field  artillery  regiments 44 

Engineer  battalions 27 

Signal  troops 27 

Ambulance  companies 89 

Field  hospitals 89 


THE  MOBILE  ARMY 


63 


"The  Regular  Army  and  militia  components  of  such 
a  force  would  be 


Ambu- 

Field 

lance 

Field 

Infantry 

Cavalry 

artil'ry 

Engineers 

Signal 

com- 
panies 

hospi- 
tals 

Regulars    . 

64 

10 

11 

9 

9 

29 

29 

Militia  

127 

21 

33 

18 

18 

60 

60 

"Comparing  these  figures  of  what  there  should  be 
with  what  actually  exists,  we  get 

ORGANIZED  MILITIA 


Infantry 

Cavalry 

Field 
arti'lry 

Engineers 

Signal 
troop 

Ambu- 
lance 
com- 
panies 

Field 
hospi- 
tals 

Should  be    
Actually  are    .  .  . 

Deficiency  . 

127 
141 

21 
6 

33 
8 

18 
5 

18 
12 

60 
20 

60 
20 

*14 

15 

23 

13 

6 

40 

40 

REGULAR  ARMY 


Actually  are    .  .  . 

16 

12 

3i 

2 

1 

4 

4 

Deficiency  . 

47 

*2 

7i 

7 

8 

25 

25 

"Here  again  it  is  seen  that  it  is  impossible  to  combine 
the  Regular  Army  and  Organized  Militia  in  the  proper 
proportions,  because  of  the  fact  that  neither  is  well 
balanced  nor  complete  in  the  proper  proportion  of  the 
components  of  a  division.  In  the  Organized  Militia 
there  is  deficiency  in  all  parts  except  infantry,  and  in 
the  Regular  Army  there  is  a  deficiency  in  all  parts  ex- 
cept  cavalry.  The  problem  of  combining  the  Regular 
Army  and  the  Organized  Militia  in  the  proportion 
of  one  and  two  can  only  be  solved  when  each  is  co~m 
plete  in  itself  in  the  proportions  of  the  different  arms 
composing  it.  The  manner  of  reorganizing  the  Regular 

*  Excess. 


64  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

Army  so  as  to  secure  such  a  balanced  force  as  needed 
is  one  for  Congress,  based  upon  the  recommendations 
of  the  War  Department,  and  does  not  fall  within  the 
province  of  this  division.  In  so  far  as  the  militia  is 
concerned  the  matter  is  different.  This  division  is  the 
proper  department  to  discuss  the  subject.  In  this 
report  the  use  of  the  Organized  Militia  as  a  federal 
force  is  discussed,  as  it  is  believed  to  be  the  proper 
point  of  view  from  which  to  consider  the  question. 
As  the  federal  government  pays  annually  toward  the 
maintenance  of  the  militia  over  $4,000,000  from  federal 
funds,  it  is  evident  that  Congress  in  authorizing  such  a 
payment  had  in  mind  the  use  of  the  militia  as  a  federal 
force.  Yet  as  seen  from  the  foregoing  discussion,  it  is 
at  present  impossible  to  advantageously  utilize  it  in 
this  capacity,  and  the  reason  for  this  misfortune  lies 
in  the  improperly  balanced  force  that  the  Organized 
Militia  has  become.  The  number  of  infantry  regi- 
ments has  steadily  increased  while  the  other  arms, 
which  are  necessary  to  render  this  infantry  effective, 
have  not  kept  pace  with  their  growth.  It  is  therefore 
apparent  that  at  the  present  time  all  efforts  should  be 
devoted  toward  discouraging  the  creation  of  further 
infantry  regiments  and  toward  encouraging  the 
creation  of  those  other  arms  of  the  service  in  which  the 
Organized  Militia  is  so  badly  deficient  at  the  present 
time." 


CAMPS  OF  INSTRUCTION  FOR  OFFICERS 

A  SPECIAL  effort  is  made  to  instruct  the  officers 
of  the  Organized  Militia  apart  from  the  en- 
listed personnel.  The  only  feasible  way  of 
producing  any  effect  throughout  the  whole  mass  of  the 
Organized  Militia  must  be  reached  through  a  pre- 
liminary instruction  of  the  commissioned  officers. 
Schools  for  the  instruction  of  infantry  officers  are 
annually  held  in  the  several  states,  for  field  artillery  and 
cavalry  officers  at  Fort  Riley,  Kansas,  and  for  engineer 
and  signal  officers  at  Fort  Leaven  worth,  Kansas. 
Arrangements  are  made  for  the  adjutants-general  of 
the  several  states  and  territories  to  assemble  the  in- 
fantry officers  of  their  several  forces  during  the  early 
summer  in  camps  of  instruction  for  a  brief  course  to  be 
conducted  by  specially  selected  infantry  officers  of  the 
Regular  Army.  This  instruction  is  under  the  super- 
vision of  division  commanders  by  whom  instructors 
are  selected  for  all  schools  of  instruction  conducted 
within  the  limits  of  their  respective  divisions.  Trans- 
portation, subsistence,  and  pay  of  militia  officers  at- 
tending the  schools  are  paid  by  the  states  and  territories 
from  funds  appropriated  by  state  legislatures,  or  from 
federal  funds. 

The  courses  of  instruction  of  the  infantry  schools 
cover  a  period  of  from  three  to  eight  days.     When 


65 


66  "TIN  SOLDIERS " 

possible  they  are  held  at  Regular  Army  posts,  in  order 
that  the  benefit  of  the  presence  of  regular  troops  may 
be  had.  The  division  commander  selects  an  officer 
in  his  division  and  details  him  for  duty  at  his  head- 
quarters in  general  charge  of  all  matters  pertaining  to 
the  preparation  of  courses  of  instruction,  selection  of 
instructors,  and  methods  of  procedure  in  conducting 
the  schools.  This  officer  arranges  with  the  adjutants- 
general  of  the  several  states  and  territories  as  to  the 
place  and  time  of  the  school  and  the  period  of  instruc- 
tion. The  scheme  involves  the  assembling  of  all  com- 
pany officers  and  battalion  staff  officers  of  each  state 
in  one  or  more  camps;  these  officers  come  to  camp  with 
the  field  equipment  of  a  private  soldier  as  well  as  that 
of  an  officer.  In  addition  to  the  elementary  drill  pre- 
scribed in  the  drill  regulations,  the  officers  receive  in- 
struction in  such  simple  duties  as  the  formation  of  a 
company,  the  care  of  the  rifle,  camp  and  police  sanita- 
tion, first  aid  to  the  wounded,  issuing  rations,  verifica- 
tion of  issues,  company  savings,  supervision  of  work 
of  company  kitchen,  and  inspection  of  meals.  They 
also  receive  instruction  in  company  paper  work,  in- 
cluding correspondence,  morning  reports,  duty  rosters, 
sick  reports,  ration  returns,  muster  and  pay  rolls, 
requisitions  for  supplies,  invoices  and  receipts,  and  re- 
ports of  survey  proceedings,  exercises  in  giving  com- 
mand, instruction  in  military  deportment,  extended 
order  drill,  map  reading,  duties  of  patrols,  advance  and 
rear  guard  duty,  outpost  duty,  infantry  attack  and 
infantry  defense,  and  preparation  of  field  orders. 


INSTRUCTION  FOR  OFFICERS  67 

Officers  of  the  Organized  Militia  are  supplied  with 
specially  prepared  handbooks  and  other  literature, 
giving  instructions  in  the  elementary  duties  of  the  sol- 
dier, in  map  reading,  patrols,  advance  and  rear  guards, 
outpost  duties,  infantry  attack  and  defense,  and  with 
a  four-inch  military  map  of  Fort  Leavenworth  and 
vicinity,  or  of  the  surrounding  country  if  not  at  Leaven- 
worth.  Advance  guard  and  outpost  duties  are  taught 
by  tactical  walks,  the  primary  object  being  to  explain 
to  the  officers  how  such  walks  can  be  conducted,  by 
themselves,  through  the  country  surrounding  their 
home  stations,  and  to  point  out  to  them  how,  through 
the  means  offered  by  such  walks  in  connection  with  map 
reading,  a  knowledge  of  the  most  important  field  duties 
of  company  officers  and  non-commissioned  officers  can 
be  acquired. 

Schools  for  militia  infantry  officers  were  held  in  the 
following  states  in  1910: 


68 


TIN  SOLDIERS  " 


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snjfraa-gl iUsHlf**  I 
tilHi*gjJsJl4!iiJjm 


SCHOOLS  FOR  OFFICERS  OF  AUXILIARY  ARMS 

THE  instruction  of  officers  of  the  auxiliary  arms, 
field  artillery,  cavalry,  engineer  troops,  and 
signal  troops  has  been  along  somewhat  different 
lines  from  that  for  the  instruction  of  officers  of  infantry. 
The  relatively  small  number  of  officers  of  these  arms 
throughout  the  several  states  and  territories,  and  the 
difficulty  of  providing  suitable  school  conditions  at 
several  points  made  it  advisable  for  the  instruction  of 
field  artillery  and  cavalry  officers  to  be  held  at  Fort 
Riley  and  for  engineer  and  signal  officers  at  Fort 
Leavenworth.  The  advantages  of  this  plan  were  that 
the  officers  of  these  schools  had  presented  to  them  the 
latest  articles  of  equipment  of  the  several  arms  and  the 
benefit  of  the  most  competent  instructors.  They  also 
had  the  opportunity  to  receive  field-service  instruction 
on  the  military  reservations,  under  the  most  favorable 
conditions.  The  advantages  outweighed  the  dis- 
advantage of  the  additional  expense  of  transportation 
of  officers  from  their  homes  to  the  schools  and  return. 
There  is  a  wide  variation  in  degree  of  instruction 
and  scope  of  technical  knowledge  among  officers  of  the 
auxiliary  arms  of  the  Organized  Militia,  and  it  is  de- 
sired in  these  schools  to  provide,  in  so  far  as  possible, 
for  the  needs  of  the  different  degrees  of  training  and 
knowledge  of  the  officers.  Accordingly,  the  schools 


70  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

are  based  on  the  fundamental  principle  that  they  should 
be  divided  into  three  periods  of  ten  days  each,  with  a 
definite  educational  objective  for  each  instructional 
period.  This  feature  fits  itself  to  the  different  degrees 
of  knowledge  and  training  of  the  officers,  and  it  en- 
ables officers  who  could  give  only  ten  days  of  their 
time  to  such  instruction  to  make  a  selection  as  to  the 
particular  period  fitted  best  to  their  own  needs. 

It  is  well  understood  that  it  is  impossible,  in  so  short 
a  time,  to  train  officers  satisfactorily  in  field-service 
duties,  but  merely  passing  over  the  course  with  regular 
officers  and  having  the  advantage  of  seeing  regular 
organizations  actually  at  work  and  in  action  at  Forts 
Riley  and  Leavenworth  give  a  certain  knowledge  of  the 
latest  type  of  equipment  and  the  latest  methods  of 
field-service  practice.  Having  this  knowledge,  even 
though  not  proficient  in  the  training,  the  officers  have 
information  as  to  what  articles  of  equipment  their  organi- 
zations should  have  and  are  able  to  take  up,  in  a  simple 
way,  of  their  own  initiative  with  their  own  batteries, 
troops,  and  companies,  such  drill,  training  and  maneu- 
vers as  they  had  seen  and  practised  at  these  schools  of 
instruction. 

The  schools  are  conducted  during  the  months  of 
May  and  June  under  the  supervision  of  the  post 
commanders  at  Fort  Leavenworth  and  Fort  Riley,  to 
whom  is  due  the  credit  of  preparation  of  programs 
of  instruction,  providing  all  means  necessary  to  carry 
on  the  instruction  and  a  most  effective  personal  super- 
vision over  the  arrangements  for  receiving  the  officers 
and  providing  for  their  accommodations  at  the  posts. 


STRIKE  DUTY 

IF  you  ask  a  regular  what  he  considers  the  worst  kind 
of  duty  that  can  fall  to  the  lot  of  a  soldier,  the 
answer  will  nine  times  out  of  ten  be  that  it  is 
strike  duty,  and  nine  times  out  of  ten  it  is  the  militia 
that  is  called  out  for  this  kind  of  work. 

Denunciation  of  the  employment  of  militia  for 
this  kind  of  work  is  common  in  localities  where  the 
relations  of  capital  and  labor  have  become  strained. 
In  some  of  the  southern  and  western  states  the  militia 
have  become  quite  used  to  being  called  upon  to  protect 
property  and  enforce  laws  for  weeks  at  a  time.  As  a 
rule  they  manage  to  suppress  disorder  without  resorting 
to  the  use  of  the  destructive  energies  at  their  com- 
mand, and  their  record  has  been  eminently  creditable. 

Strike  duty  is  both  dangerous  and  disagreeable. 
The  militia  must  show  patience  and  tact,  they  must 
watch  and  wait  and  cannot  take  the  initiative;  must 
keep  their  temper  under  a  steady  fire  of  vile  names  and 
derision.  They  must  submit  to  being  called  cowards 
who  do  not  dare  to  shoot,  "Tin  soldiers,"  "Two  for  a 
dollar  soldiers,"  "Shoulder-strap  murderers,"  etc. 
Soldiers  on  strike  duty  must  be  ready  to  face  bricks 
and  bullets  in  zero  weather  or  boiling  sun,  and  are  not 
expected  to  open  fire  on  a  mob  until  one  of  their  number 
has  first  been  shot. 


71 


72  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

The  writer  spent  twenty-eight  days  on  duty  during 
the  textile  strike  in  Lawrence,  Massachusetts,  in  1912. 
The  first  trouble  at  this  great  strike,  affecting  over 
thirty  thousand  workers,  was  on  the  morning  of 
January  15th,  at  6.40,  the  opening  time  of  the  big 
textile  mills.  Great  throngs  of  strikers,  who  had  been 
out  several  days,  assembled  in  the  mill  section  and 
began  a  noisy  demonstration  against  the  few  workers 
in  the  mills.  The  cheering  and  yelling  became  so 
violent  that  mill  gates  were  locked  and  barricaded. 
The  strikers  then  began  throwing  rocks  in  through  the 
windows,  and  soon  pistol  shots  were  heard.  Crowds 
ranging  from  a  few  hundred  to  several  thousands 
gathered  in  front  of  each  of  the  mills  and  shouted, 
hissed  and  hoohed,  then  broke  windows  and  finally, 
not  being  content  with  this,  rushed  the  gates  and  en- 
tered the  mills,  where  they  cut  the  belts,  smashed 
machines,  and  dragged  the  women  operators  by  the 
hair  from  their  benches.  By  nine  o'clock  the  mayor 
admitted  that  the  police  were  powerless  to  keep  order, 
and  signed  the  precepts  calling  out  the  militia.  The 
members  of  the  local  companies  (two  companies  of 
infantry  and  a  battery  of  field  artillery)  had  anticipated 
this  action  and  were  assembled  in  their  armory  and  at 
once  turned  out.  By  noon  five  other  companies  had 
arrived  or  were  on  their  way,  and  twenty  thousand  ball 
cartridges  had  reached  the  city.  At  three  o'clock 
Colonel  E.  Leroy  Sweetser  of  the  8th  Massachusetts 
Infantry  and  his  staff  arrived,  and  took  command 
of  the  Provisional  Regiment  of  five  hundred  and  two 


STRIKE  DUTY  73 

men  and  officers. 

He  at  once  divided  the  mill  section  into  two  dis- 
tricts, divided  by  the  Merrimac  River  and  joined  by 
three  bridges.  He  distributed  the  companies  about 
the  different  mills  and  placed  each  district  under  a 
major,  making  him  responsible  for  what  occurred  in 
his  district.  The  streets  were  cleaned  out  and  certain 
ones  were  closed.  When  the  crowds  refused  to  peace- 
fully disperse,  force  was  used  —  and  in  some  cases 
bayonets  were  resorted  to.  The  determined  attitude 
of  the  soldiers  soon  had  its  effect  and  the  mobs  became 
less  hard  to  break  up  and  arrests  less  often.  As  night 
approached  conditions  became  normal.  Strikers 
were  in  the  hospital  with  bayonet  wounds  and  about 
forty  men  were  lodged  in  the  police  station.  The 
prisoners  were  a  hard  lot,  the  lowest  types  of  Italians, 
Poles,  Greeks,  Syrians,  etc.,  and  when  searched  nearly 
all  had  revolvers  and  knives  concealed  upon  their 
person.  During  the  evening  six  hundred  Gold  Medal 
cots  arrived  from  the  State  Arsenal,  and  a  supply  of 
worsted  caps,  mittens  and  overshoes,  all  of  which  were 
issued  before  ten  o'clock. 

Each  outpost  was  put  in  touch  with  headquarters 
by  telephone;  searchlights,  sharpshooters  and  tele- 
phones were  placed  in  the  mill  towers.  A  field  hos- 
pital was  established,  auto  trucks  were  secured  for  the 
commissary  department  and  an  automobile  for  head- 
quarters. The  week  that  followed  was  one  of  anxiety. 
The  soldiers  guarded  the  mill  property,  the  police  the 
rest  of  the  city.  Each  day  a  mass  meeting  of  from 


74  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

ten  to  fifteen  thousand  was  held  on  the  common,  fol- 
lowed by  a  parade,  which  at  times  would  attempt  to 
march  through  the  forbidden  district.  Many  times 
the  situation  was  very  serious,  and  but  for  the  tactful, 
patience,  great  loss  of  life  must  have  occurred,  as  the 
orders  were  not  to  shoot  until  it  was  absolutely  neces- 
sary, but  then,  shoot  to  kill.  Many  heads  were  cracked 
open  this  first  week,  but  not  one  dollar  of  damage  was 
done  to  any  of  the  mills  guarded  by  the  soldiers. 

Up  to  this  time  the  strikers  had  been  led  by  a 
man  named  Joseph  Ettor,  of  New  York,  a  man  who  had 
figured  prominently  in  frightful  outbreaks  in  Brooklyn, 
Paterson  and  other  places.  He  was  now  joined  by 
the  notorious  William  D.  Hay  wood,  who  openly  de- 
clares for  violence,  and  other  less  prominent  agitators. 
The  speeches  became  more  threatening  and  talk  of 
dynamite  and  violence  more  open. 

On  the  fifteenth  day  after  the  troops  arrived  a  seri- 
ous outbreak  occurred  before  daylight  and  continued 
at  intervals  until  night.  Twenty -four  electric  cars 
were  smashed,  wires  cut,  people  knocked  down  and 
beaten  in  the  streets,  windows  broken,  one  woman 
killed  by  a  stray  bullet  and  a  policeman  stabbed.  This 
disturbance  all  occurred  outside  of  the  military  zone. 
More  troops  were  ordered  to  the  scene  and  arrived  dur- 
ing the  night,  making  twenty-two  companies  of  in- 
fantry and  two  troops  of  cavalry;  the  local  companies 
being  relieved.  The  entire  city  was  now  taken  over 
and  placed  under  the  nearest  thing  to  martial  law 
that  the  Massachusetts  laws  permit.  It  was  divided 


STRIKE  DUTY  75 

into  six  districts,  each  in  charge  of  a  major  —  and 
when  the  good  and  bad  people  of  Lawrence  awoke 
next  morning  they  found  guards  on  every  corner  and 
patrols  on  every  street.  The  disorderly  element  re- 
sented this  and  showed  fight.  On  one  street  they  con- 
gregated and  refused  to  disperse.  Bottles,  tin  cans, 
coal  and  even  iron  window  weights  were  thrown  from 
windows,  while  the  mob  hurled  ice,  and  some  one  fired 
seven  shots  from  an  automatic  pistol.  Something 
had  to  be  done  and  done  quickly. 

The  officer  in  command  gave  charge  bayonets,  and 
into  the  crowd  of  nearly  a  thousand  went  the  little 
squad  of  sixteen  men.  Order  was  restored  and  the 
street  cleared,  but  in  doing  it  one  man  was  killed; 
the  only  one  killed  by  the  soldiers  during  the  strike. 
Not  a  soldier  was  seriously  hurt,  but  when  they 
obeyed  the  order  to  charge,  it  seemed  doubtful  if 
any  would  come  out  alive  to  tell  what  happened. 
Less  serious  riots  occurred  throughout  the  city  that 
morning,  and  in  every  case  the  soldiers  had  their 
way  without  firing  a  shot. 

Colonel  Sweetser  notified  the  strikers  that  he  would 
allow  no  parades  and  no  open-air  meetings.  Three 
men  would  be  considered  a  crowd  and  all  persons  un- 
able to  explain  their  presence  on  the  street  before  day- 
light would  be  locked  up. 

About  this  time  Ettor  was  arrested  as  accessory 
to  the  murder  of  the  woman  shot,  and  held  ten  days 
for  hearing  without  bail.  Many  arrests  were  made 
for  intimidation,  and  during  the  third  week  four  people 


76  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

were  murdered  in  the  Italian  quarter.  While  these 
murders  could  not  be  traced  to  the  strike,  yet  it  helps 
to  show  the  conditions  existing  in  the  city. 

During  all  this  trying  time  the  conduct  of  the 
soldiers  was  beyond  reproach.  Only  two  men  were 
given  leave  from  a  company  at  a  time.  No  man  was 
allowed  to  drink  or  even  enter  a  saloon,  and  the  only 
two  cases  of  drunkenness  were  brought  before  the  sum- 
mary court  and  the  men  were  discharged  for  the  good 
of  the  service. 

Every  attempt  was  made  by  the  sympathizers  of 
the  strike  to  get  the  soldiers  into  compromising  posi- 
tions or  incite  them  into  doing  some  act  that  could  be 
made  capital  of.  Many  attempted  to  give  the  guards 
whiskey  and  were  promptly  arrested. 

Haywood,  in  his  speeches,  referred  to  the  soldiers 
as  uniformed  drunkards,  not  worthy  of  notice,  and 
said  no  meaner  creatures  lived,  unless  it  was  the  de- 
tectives, forty  of  whose  souls  could  be  placed  in  the 
hollow  of  a  hair.  The  agitators  even  attempted  to 
place  the  blame  for  the  four  murders  on  the  soldiers. 

The  following,  which  is  attributed  to  Haywood  by  a 
Boston  Paper,  is  typical  of  the  attacks  made  upon  the 
militia  in  the  open-air  meetings  by  the  strike  agitators : 

"Soldiers  and  policemen  are  walking  delegates  of 
the  capitalists;  you  never  hear  of  a  policeman  beating 
a  rich  man.  It  is  always  the  poor  man.  The  police- 
man is  a  pimple  and  the  soldier  a  boil  on  society. 
The  soldiers  committed  murder  in  Lawrence;  they 
put  a  bayonet  through  the  lung  of  a  mere  boy.  The 


STRIKE  DUTY  77 

authorities  say  a  woman  worker  was  killed  by  a  stray 
bullet  from  the  ranks  of  the  strikers,  but  she  was 
probably  killed  by  a  bullet  from  the  rifle  of  one  of  the 
sharpshooters  sent  down  here. 

"These  miserable  uniformed  murderers,  irresponsi- 
ble, drunken  reprobates,  scabs  on  regular  soldiers,  with 
bared  bayonets  and  loaded  guns,  are  walking  the  streets 
of  Lawrence  without  molestation  from  the  strikers, 
who  have  learned  to  control  themselves  under  our 
leadership.  This  is  called  the  land  of  the  free  and  the 
brave.  It  is  the  land  of  the  capitalist,  and  Lawrence 
is  the  home  of  the  slave." 

The  weight  these  and  similar  remarks  had  upon 
the  country  at  large  is  illustrated  by  the  following 
editorials  and  letters,  the  Lawrence  Critic  of  Febru- 
ary 11,  1912,  in  its  editorial  column  says: 

"Our  thanks  are  certainly  due  the  militia  that  for 
weeks  have  maintained  order  in  our  city,  and  above  all 
have  maintained  order  among  themselves  to  the  per- 
fect satisfaction  of  the  most  fastidious  of  our  citizen- 
ship." 

"The  *  boys'  have  performed  a  most  disagreeable 
duty  in  the  most  gallant  way." 

[From  the  Waterbury  American.] 

"The  Massachusetts  militiamen  are  proving  them- 
selves a  valuable  and  efficient  force  at  Lawrence.  The 
'tin  soldier*  feature  of  the  National  Guard  is  consider- 
ably less  apparent  when  the  guardsman  faces  bricks 
and  bullets  in  zero  weather  to  protect  property." 


78  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

[From  the  Lowell  Courier-Citizen.] 

"That  the  'tin  soldier'  idea  has  been  effectually 
overcome  in  the  state  militia  is  evident  to  any  one  who 
makes  the  rounds  of  the  companies  stationed  at  Law- 
rence. Of  course  the  military  discipline  is  not  what  it 
would  be  in  the  regulars,  where  soldiering  is  the  in- 
dividual's business  and  his  whole  career,  but  considering 
that  these  men  at  Lawrence  came  out  of  all  sorts  of 
offices  and  workshops  at  short  notice  to  do  military 
duty  as  taught  in  the  state  armories  and  the  state 
camps  purely  as  an  avocation,  the  discipline  has  been 
excellent.  Not  a  few  of  the  militiamen  are  almost 
untrained,  being  new  members  of  their  companies. 
'Tin  Soldiers'  could  not  do  what  these  men  have 
been  doing." 

[Boston  Transcript.] 

"The  situation  in  Lawrence  is  measurably  clearing. 
The  workers  are  going  back  to  the  mills  in  increasing 
numbers,  and  apparently  there  is  a  beginning  toward 
a  return  to  normal  conditions.  But  it  is  only  a  be- 
ginning and  must  be  carefully  nursed  and  intelligently 
developed,  else  a  speedy  relapse  is  inevitable.  The 
militia  have  rendered  excellent  service.  We  are 
proud  of  our  state  troops  and  have  more  confidence 
in  the  enforcement  of  law  than  ever,  knowing  what  a 
splendid  dependence  we  have  in  case  of  emergency. 
But  while  it  is  undeniably  too  soon  to  permit  their 
withdrawal,  with  opportunity  to  return  to  their  homes 
and  their  business,  preparation  for  that  step  should  be 


STRIKE  DUTY  79 

in  progress  and  to  this  end  the  city  of  Lawrence  should 
rise  to  a  clearer  sense  of  its  responsibility  than  it  has 
yet  manifested. 

"It  has  been  a  period  of  unwonted  hardship  for  the 
soldiers.  The  kind  of  service  has  been  very  unpleasant, 
the  weather  has  added  to  the  discomforts  and  most 
all  are  losing  money  through  this  service  to  the  state. 
But  they  have  displayed  admirable  patience,  self- 
restraint  and  loyalty.  To  such  an  extent  do  they  de- 
serve the  gratitude  of  the  city  they  have  protected 
that  it  should  be  doubly  alert  to  take  such  measures 
in  its  own  behalf  as  would  most  quickly  give  them 
their  release.  Money  should  not  count  in  this  matter," 

[From  the  Boston  Herald.] 

"If  such  services  as  the  militia  is  now  performing 
at  Lawrence  had  been  in  evidence  at  the  time  of  the 
enactment  of  the  'pay  bill*  by  the  last  Legislature, 
that  measure  would  have  had  a  far  less  stormy  course. 

"The  public  now  has  occasion  to  realize  that  the 
militia  is  as  much  of  a  necessity  as  the  police  force.  Both 
should  be  maintained  at  a  high  standard.  The  kind 
of  duty  in  which  the  militia  is  now  engaged  is  quite  as 
distasteful  as  any  that  can  be  asked,  particularly  of 
workingmen.  And  yet  they  are  performing  it  as  be- 
comes good  soldiers.  Had  it  not  been  for  their  pres- 
ence in  Lawrence  the  past  two  weeks,  mill  property 
to  the  value  of  millions  would  have  been  destroyed,  en- 
tailing a  burden  on  the  taxpayers  for  years  to  come. 


80  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

"The  rule  of  the  mob  came  to  an  end  when  what  was, 
in  effect,  martial  law  was  extended  through  the  city." 

A  letter  from  A.  B.  Henderson,  of  Greenfield,  Mass. 

"A  short  time  ago  the  Herald  published  an  editorial 
dealing  with  the  valuable  work  the  militia  was  per- 
forming in  Lawrence,  and  complimenting  the  citizen 
soldiery  for  the  part  they  had  thus  far  played  in  pre- 
serving order  among  the  striking  textile  workers. 

"In  these  days  of  seemingly  continual  industrial 
strife,  the  organized  militia  is  indeed  grateful  to  its 
sympathetic  friends  who  are  always  ready  to  sound  a 
note  of  praise  in  their  behalf. 

"It  is  safe  to  say  that  the  militia  is  the  only  real 
practical  patriotic  body  of  men  in  the  country  to-day. 
Other  organizations  may  hold  meetings  and  discuss 
things  of  a  patriotic  nature,  but  this  does  not  class 
with  the  work  that  the  militia  is  performing.  Here  is  a 
body  of  men,  serving  without  pay,  enduring  all  sorts  of 
attacks  from  labor  organizations  and  outsiders  in  general; 
who  are  engaged  mainly  in  one  thing,  namely,  to  volun- 
teer their  services  to  their  country  in  time  of  need,  and 
who  never  have  received  proper  credit  from  the  ma- 
jority of  American  citizens.  Is  it  any  disgrace  to  wear 
the  uniform  of  your  country  and  march  beneath  your 
country's  flag?  Then  why  should  true  Americans  heap 
such  ridicule  as  labor  organizations  have  upon  the 
militia. " 

[W.  C.  Taylor  in  the  Boston  Herald.} 
"Any  attempt  to  discredit  the  state  troops  or  the 


STRIKE  DUTY  81 

soldiers  of  the  United  States  ought  to  be  resented  by 
every  law-abiding  citizen. 

"No  honest  man,  in  pursuit  only  of  his  lawful  business 
or  employment,  ever  had  to  face  a  line  of  soldiers  in 
this  country.  They  are  never  called  out  except  to 
prevent  crime,  and  nobody  but  criminals  has  anything 
to  fear  from  them.  These  are  plain,  cold  truths  which 
will  stand  every  test,  from  every  angle. 

"The  troops  at  Lawrence  have  not  hindered  any 
honest  man  from  his  lawful  business.  No  troops  have 
ever  done  that  anywhere  in  America.  They  have, 
however,  at  various  times  prevented  crime  and  inter- 
fered with  assault,  arsen  and  general  riot.  They  are 
necessary  guards  in  any  civilized  state,  and  they  are 
entitled  to  honor  and  respect  as  part  of  the  government. 
This  being  the  case,  there  is  neither  point  nor  purpose 
to  the  Swift  arraignment  of  Harvard.  I  never  even  set 
foot  within  the  walls  of  a  Harvard  edifice,  and  am, 
therefore,  not  an  interested  partisan.  I  take  it  for 
granted  that  if  this  country  were  threatened  by  a  for- 
eign enemy  Harvard  would  furnish  a  quota  of  de- 
fenders; they  would  be  honored  as  such;  and  the  same 
kind  of  honor  is  due  those  who  act  as  defenders  from 
internal  enemies.  It  is  about  time  the  disparagers  of 
American  soldiers  were  properly  classified  and  labeled. 
They  are  enemies  of  the  nation,  for  the  soldiers  are  the 
nation's  right  arm." 


82  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

From  Fibre  and  Fabric,  March  1. 

"  If  the  public  knew  just  what  a  problem  the  police 
and  soldiers  were  dealing  with  in  Lawrence  they  would 
take  an  entirely  different  view  of  the  situation.  The 
women  are  the  most  serious  problem  confronting  the 
men  who  are  stationed  in  Lawrence  to  keep  peace  and 
prevent  destruction  of  mill  property. 

"If  the  women  strikers  are  handled  roughly,  then 
there  is  a  howl  from  the  press,  none  too  friendly  to  the 
manufacturing  interests  but  what  is  to  be  done  when  a 
mob  of  women  are  pushed  to  the  front  for  a  second 
section  of  peace  disturbers  to  hide  behind?  The  women 
can  resist  the  officers,  throw  pepper  in  their  eyes  and 
perform  a  few  such  gentle  acts,  and  if  any  of  them,  re- 
fusing to  disperse,  are  mussed  up,  then  come  new  in- 
vestigations, both  by  the  state  and  the  national  govern- 
ment. If  the  women  strikers  are  willing  tools  of  the 
strike  leaders,  they  must  expect  to  get  their  heads 
cracked,  and  the  conditions  fully  justify  the  drastic 
measures  taken  by  the  guardians  of  the  peace  so  far, 
and  it  is  wonderful  how  well  these  policemen  and  sol- 
diers have  conducted  themselves  while  preventing 
serious  disorder. 

"The  most  creditable  feature  of  the  Lawrence 
trouble  is  the  careful  manner  in  which  the  police  and 
soldiers  have  conducted  themselves.  Their  patience 
and  skill  in  preventing  bloodshed  should  have  the 
hearty  commendation  of  press  and  public.  Take  it 
home  and  reason  out  the  situation;  —  a  mob  of  ig- 


STRIKE  DUTY  83 

norant  women  pushed  to  the  front  by  men  who  are  a 
menace  to  civilization,  throwing  pepper  and  stones, 
sticks  or  anything  handy.  Then  reason  out  how  it 
would  affect  one's  nerves  to  feel  that  about  every 
house  passed  in  certain  sections  concealed  men  and 
women  with  guns,  ready  to  shoot.  It  requires  cool 
heads,  under  such  circumstances,  to  prevent  hundreds 
of  funerals  in  the  city  of  Lawrence." 

These  and  hundreds  of  similar  articles  appeared 
during  the  strike.     The  headlines  in  the  papers  from 
day  to  day,  the  first  few  weeks,  tell  the  story  of  strike 
duty  well  and  briefly. 
Jan.  15.    Militia  Called  Out. 

Three  Companies  of  Militia  out  in  Lawrence 

Strike. 
Troops  Charge  Lawrence  Strikers  with  Fixed 

Bayonets. 

Lawrence  Guarded  by  Armed  Men. 
Jan.  16.    Lawrence  under  the  Protection  of  500  Mass. 

Militia. 

Bayonets  of  State  Troops  Quell  Riots. 
Militia  Quells  Mob  of  Foreign  Operatives. 
Jan.  17.    Officials  Try  and  End   Trouble  while   State 

Troops  Keep  Peace. 
Troops  in  Control. 

Jan.  18.    Heads  Broken  when  Battery  Holds  up  Mob. 
Militia  Scatters  Crowd. 
Parade  of  Six  Thousand  Strikers  Flee  before 
Bayonets. 


84  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

Jan.  19.    Rioters  Quit  in  Fear  of  Militia. 

Strikers  Say  They  Are  Opposed  to  Violence. 
Jan.  20.    Three  Thousand  Strikers  March  on  Soldiers. 

Bloodshed  Narrowly  Averted  by  Good  Judg- 
ment of  Militia  Officers. 

Jan.  21.   The    Strikers    Condemn    Alleged    Action    of 
Militiamen. 

Haywood  Threatens  to  Stop  Freighting. 

The  City  to  be  put  in  Darkness. 
Jan.  22.    Dynamite  Found  in  Oak  Street  House. 

Ettor  Defies  Mill  Owners. 

Pickets  Stab  Watchman. 
Jan.  23.    Soldiers  Suffer  with  Cold. 

More  Explosives  Unearthed. 
Jan.  24.    Soldiers  Make  Arrests  for  Intimidation. 

Police  Trail  Professional  Bad  Men. 
Jan.  25.    Saloons  Closed. 

Strikers  in  Fight  to  Win. 
Jan.  26.    Practically  Every  Mill  is  Closed. 

Militiamen  Face  Duty  Philosophically. 
Jan.  27.    Bayonets  Bar  Path  of  Big  Parade. 

No  Violence  Used. 
Jan.  28.    Trouble  Looked  For. 

Strikers  to  Make  Big  Demonstration. 
Jan.  29.    Strikers  in  Wild  Riot  at  Lawrence. 

Electric  Cars  Smashed.     Many  Hurt. 

Woman  Killed  and  Policeman  Stabbed. 
Jan.  30.    Bullets  Fly  and  Mill  Strikers  out  in  Riots. 

Maddened  Mob  of  Six  Thousand  Defies  all 
Authority. 


>    en 

& 

W    W 
U    fti 

<  2 

«  s 


STRIKE  DUTY  85 

More  Troops  Rushed  to  City. 
Jan.  31.   One  Rioter  Killed  by  Bayonet. 

Martial  Law  Practically  Rules  Lawrence. 

Entire  City  Now  to  be  Patrolled. 
Feb.  1 .      Ettor  Arrested,  Accessory  to  Murder. 

First  Shot  Fired  by  Soldiers. 

Attempt  Made  to  Rush  Mill  Across  Ice. 

No  Parades  or  Meetings  to  be  Allowed. 
Feb.  2.      Four  Murdered  in  Lawrence  Home. 

Great  Crowd  Collects  and  Militia  are  Sent 

to  Clean  the  Street. 

It  seems  to  be  the  universal  opinion  that  the 
militia  handled  the  Lawrence  strike  remarkably  well. 
No  doubt  the  strike  leaders  hoped  they  would  use  slam- 
bang  methods  and  by  so  doing  keep  the  strikers  in  a 
state  of  excitement. 

Colonel  Sweetser  was  not  that  kind  of  a  man :  —  a 
judge,  a  capable  lawyer,  a  good  soldier,  he  had  all  the 
qualifications  needed,  and  the  result  was  that  by  tact 
and  diplomacy,  order  was  maintained  with  little  blood- 
shed. Colonel  Sweetser  showed  the  strikers  they  would 
be  given  a  fair  show.  He  listened  to  their  leader  and 
told  him  what  he  could  do  and  what  he  could  not  do. 
He  said  to  Mr.  Ettor  on  the  morning  of  January  19th, 
at  the  Franco-Belgium  Hall,  "I  am  in  command  of  the 
soldiers,  and  am  responsible  to  my  commanding  officer 
for  what  they  do.  You,  Mr.  Ettor,  are  the  leader  of 
the  strikers,  and  I  shall  hold  you  strictly  responsible  for 
anything  that  occurs."  Mr.  Ettor  assumed  this  re- 
sponsibility in  the  presence  of  the  writer  as  a  witness. 


86  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

Colonel  Sweetser  next  showed  the  strikers  that 
while  the  soldiers  did  not  want  to  shoot  they  were 
not  afraid  to  do  so  if  necessary,  and  when  they  did,  it 
would  not  be  over  the  mob's  heads. 

At  first  the  soldiers  were  insulted,  called  vile  names 
and  booh-ed  at  when  on  the  street,  but  before  they 
were  in  Lawrence  three  weeks  they  were  being  saluted 
and  shown  respect  by  all  but  the  professional  agitators. 


MANEUVERS 

JOINT  encampment  of  the  Organized  Militia  with 
the  regular  troops  are  held  during  the  summer  and 
early  fall  at  ten  different  localities,  namely :  Pine 
Camp,  Jefferson  County,  New  York;  Gettysburg, 
Pennsylvania;  Chickamauga  Park,  Georgia;  Fort 
Benjamin  Harrison,  Indiana;  Fort  Riley,  Kansas; 
near  Fort  D.  A.  Russell,  Iron  Mountain,  Wyoming; 
Sparta,  Wisconsin;  Leon  Springs,  Texas;  American 
Lake,  Washington;  Atascadero,  California,  and  a  joint 
camp  of  instruction  for  field  artillery  at  Sparta,  Wis- 
consin. 

Joint  coast-defense  exercises  are  held  in  all  the  coast 
artillery  districts. 

The  benefit  a  militia  officer  receives  from  attending 
these  schools,  is  just  the  benefit  an  amateur  derives  in 
watching  a  professional  in  his  own  line  of  work  at  his 
trade.  A  college  baseball  team  may  play  a  great  game 
of  ball.  The  Harvard  or  Yale  team,  for  instance,  may 
know  the  history  and  theory  of  the  game  as  well  as  the 
professional,  but  put  them  together  and  the  college 
team  will  profit  by  the  experience.  The  theory  on 
which  the  federal  and  the  state  governments  are  work- 
ing is  to  give  the  militia  the  greatest  degree  of  military 
field  efficiency  possible  with  the  limited  amount  of 
time  and  money. 


87 


88  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

There  are  two  ways  of  becoming  efficient;  one  is  to 
learn  by  experience  in  service,  the  other  is  through  the 
example  of  the  efficient.  The  officers'  schools  teach 
how  to  live,  march  and  fight;  in  other  words,  the  proper 
clothing,  quarters  and  food,  how  to  pack  a  load,  regu- 
late a  day's  work  and  protect  the  feet,  and  how  to  shoot. 
The  officer  must  know  these  things  in  order  that  his 
men  may  learn  from  him. 

The  most  important  maneuvers  have  been  the 
Manassas,  Virginia  Maneuvers,  of  1904;  those  of 
Pine  Camp,  New  York,  1908;  the  Massachusetts 
Maneuvers  of  1909;  those  in  Texas  in  1911,  and  the 
Massachusetts  Maneuvers  of  1911,  the  latter  im- 
portant, as  they  constituted  a  new  department  for 
state  troops,  being  the  first  maneuvers  of  their  char- 
acter ever  attempted  by  a  single  state.  The  state 
forces  were  divided  into  two  brigades  which  fought 
out  a  problem  over  Middlesex  and  Essex  counties;  they 
were  on  the  march  the  entire  ten  days  of  their  tour  of 
duty. 

The  improvement  in  the  National  Guard  has  been 
very  marked  since  the  joint  maneuvers  in  Virginia. 
At  that  time  it  was  apparent  that  insufficient  at- 
tention had  been  given  to  personal  hygiene  and  field 
work.  In  outpost  duty,  patrol  duty,  and  advance 
and  rear  guard  duty  the  militia  was  weak.  The  shoes 
were  poor,  the  equipment,  generally  speaking,  in- 
complete, and  it  was  easy  to  find  any  number  of 
military  absurdities.  Since  the  Manassas  Maneuvers 
the  Organized  Militia  has  steadily  progressed  in  effi- 


MANEUVERS  89 

ciency.  It  has  worked  hard  along  the  most  practical 
lines  and  in  some  states  has  become  a  well-organized, 
well-equipped  and  efficient  military  body. 

Just  as  the  armory  work,  with  its  close  order  drills 
and  lectures,  is  necessary,  so  are  maneuvers  where  the 
men  can  work  out  problems  they  have  been  taught  in 
theory.  The  work  in  the  field  for  the  militiaman  is 
hard,  at  times  even  severe.  Digging  trenches,  "  hiking  " 
through  miles  of  tangled  woods  and  swamps  in  rain 
or  heat,  sleeping  on  the  ground  and  eating  army  ra- 
tions, shows  what's  in  a  man,  and  rids  the  militia  of 
the  quitters.  Men  who  go  into  soldiering  have  got  to 
face  some  strenuous  times.  They  cannot  learn  how  to 
take  care  of  themselves  in  the  cold  and  rain,  heat  and 
dust,  in  armories,  or  the  old-fashioned  "milishy" 
camps.  The  men  must  know  how  to  meet  the  require- 
ments of  the  march,  bivouac,  and  combat  and  how  to 
care  for  themselves  under  service  conditions.  These 
constitute  the  only  objects  of  military  training,  nothing 
else  is  of  any  importance,  except  as  it  contributes  to 
efficiency  along  these  lines.  Hence  the  great  impor- 
tance of  maneuvers.  To  make  a  practical  soldier  you 
must  get  him  into  the  field  and  make  him  work  out 
familiar  things  in  unfamiliar  surroundings.  One 
week  of  daily  practice  in  the  field,  I  do  not  hesitate  to 
say,  is  worth  six  months'  work  in  the  armory. 

All  of  this  field  work  helps  to  make  strong  men  with 
red  blood  in  their  veins.  It  teaches  the  men  to  take 
care  of  themselves  and  trains  officers  in  estimating 
tactical  situations  and  giving  field  orders. 


PINE  CAMP 

DURING  the  summer  of  1908  the  government 
started  a  Camp  of  Instruction  at  Pine  Camp,  in 
Jefferson  County,  New  York,  and  has  since 
held  joint  maneuvers  every  two  years  for  the  Army 
and  Organized  Militia.  The  camp  is  located  two  miles 
from  the  railroad  station  on  a  gently  rolling  plateau  of 
sand,  partly  open  and  partly  covered  with  a  growth  of 
pine  and  other  small  scrubby  trees.  The  camp  is  two 
hundred  feet  above  the  Black  River,  about  half  a  mile 
away.  The  camp  of  1908  was  the  first  joint  camp  held 
after  the  Dick  Bill  became  a  law,  and  for  this  reason,  if 
for  no  other,  attracted  wide  attention.  Major-General 
Frederick  D.  Grant  was  the  commanding  officer. 
The  drills  were  mostly  in  extended  order  and  field  ex- 
ercises. A  non-commissioned  officers'  school  was  held 
after  the  different  problems  and  talks  were  given  the 
men  by  the  officers.  The  militia  officers  were  given 
talks  each  day  by  regular  officers  on  advance,  rear  and 
flank  guards,  patrols,  field  orders,  marches,  outpost 
and  reconnoissance  attack  and  defense,  and  in  the  even- 
ing regular  and  militia  officers  attended  lectures,  at 
Division  Headquarters,  on  camp  sanitation,  on  the 
effect  of  artillery  fire,  on  the  attack  and  defense  of 
convoys  and  on  the  Russian-Japanese  War. 


90 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  MANEUVERS  OF  1909 


so-called  "Massachusetts  Maneuvers"  took 
place  the  year  following  the  Camp  of  In- 
struction at  Pine  Camp.  Never  before  in  the 
history  of  this  country  have  joint  military  maneu- 
vers been  held  in  time  of  peace  of  the  magnitude  of 
those  which  took  place  from  August  14th  to  21st,  1909, 
in  Southern  Massachusetts. 

Never  before  has  so  much  time  and  money  been 
expended  by  the  government.  Never  have  the  citizens 
of  any  district  shown  more  interest  in  military  affairs, 
and  never  in  history  have  plans  been  kept  so  secret 
from  citizens  and  soldiers  alike. 

It  was  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  military  maneu- 
vers in  this  country  that  transports  were  used  and  no 
permanent  camps  were  made.  The  maneuvers  were  of 
sufficient  importance  for  foreign  nations  to  send  military 
attaches,  and  the  interest  the  entire  country  manifested 
was  shown  by  the  fact  that  over  two  hundred  and  fifty 
newspaper  representatives  accompanied  the  troops. 

For  weeks  before  the  maneuvers  commenced  the 
papers  contained  columns  of  contradictory  informa- 
tion, the  only  official  information  given  to  the  press 
was  the  date.  Even  the  officers  of  various  outfits  did 
not  know  where  they  were  to  be  sent  until  some  forty- 
eight  hours  before  their  departure. 

91 


92  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

They  were  told  that  they  were  to  defend  Boston. 
The  assumed  situation  was  that  war  had  been  declared 
between  the  United  States  and  a  foreign  power.  The 
Navy  was  supposed  to  have  been  either  defeated 
or  else  lured  away  from  the  neighborhood  of  Massa- 
chusetts. 

The  War  Department  had  received  information  that 
a  fleet  of  transports,  escorted  by  a  naval  force,  was 
approaching  New  England  bringing  ten  thousand 
troops  with  the  idea  of  seizing  the  forts  of  Boston  from 
the  land  and  that  the  objective  point  of  the  transports 
was  somewhere  from  Buzzards  Bay  to  Salisbury  Beach. 

The  object  of  the  maneuvers  was  to  show  just  how 
hard  or  easy  it  would  be  for  invaders  to  land  from  trans- 
ports and  push  forward  inland  for  the  capture  of  Boston 
as  a  basis  of  supplies,  and  to  determine,  if  possible, 
whether  it  was  imperative  that  more  coast  batteries 
and  men  be  added  to  the  Massachusetts  coast. 

The  defense  of  Boston  was  given  over  to  the  Massa- 
chusetts militia,  with  the  general  officers  of  the  National 
Guard  in  command,  while  the  invaders  were  com- 
manded by  regular  army  officers. 

The  maneuvers  were  in  charge  of  General  Leonard 
Wood  and  General  Witherspoon  of  the  U.  S.  Army, 
with  Brig.-Gen.  Wm.  A.  Pew,  Jr.,  M.  V.  M.,  in  com- 
mand of  the  defense;  Brig.-Gen.  Tasker  H.  Bliss,  head 
of  the  Army  War  College  in  Washington,  in  command 
of  the  invading  force. 

Under  General  Pew  there  were  the  2d,  5th,  6th, 
8th  and  9th  regiments  of  Infantry,  the  Corps  of  Coast 


MASSACHUSETTS  MANEUVERS          93 

Artillery,  the  two  battalions  of  Cadets,  a  squadron 
of  Cavalry,  a  battalion  of  Field  Artillery,  and  the 
Signal  and  Sanitary  troops  consisting  of  one  company 
each. 

The  invading  forces  consisted  of  the  District  of 
Columbia,  1st  Field  Battery,  1st  and  2d  Regiments 
Infantry,  1st  separate  Battalion  of  Infantry  (colored), 
Ambulance  and  Signal  Corps.  Connecticut  1st  and  2d 
Regiment  Infantry,  Troop  A,  Battery  A  and  a  Signal 
Corps.  The  New  York  7th  and  14th  Regiments 
Infantry,  22d  Regiment  of  Engineers,  Squadron  A, 
1st  and  2d  Company  Signal  Corps,  1st,  2d  and  3d 
Battery  of  Field  Artillery.  The  New  Jersey  Squadron 
of  Cavalry  and  the  10th  U.  S.  Cavalry  (colored),  the 
latter  famous  for  their  work  at  San  Juan  and  in  the 
Philippines. 

Before  the  maneuvers,  criticism  was  expressed  by 
the  general  public  at  the  War  Department  for  order- 
ing the  militia  on  so  strenuous  a  tour.  Said  they, 
"it  is  absurd  to  expect  citizen  soldiers  to  go  from  the 
offices  and  workshops  into  the  field  and  rough  it  with 
the  regulars."  But  no  complaints  were  heard  from  the 
citizen  soldier;  he  was  pleased  and  keen  about  going, 
and  as  the  time  drew  near  became  impatient  to  start. 
So  enthusiastic  were  most  that  they  gave  up  Saturdays 
and  Sundays  for  weeks  before  the  appointed  date, 
and  companies  of  infantry  could  be  seen  on  practice 
marches  everywhere.  The  men  themselves  trained 
and  did  what  they  could  to  get  in  the  best  physical 
condition,  for  they  knew  the  maneuvers  would  involve 


94  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

miles  of  marching  over  fields,  through  meadows,  swamps 
and  forests  with  sandy  soil  or  mud  to  make  it  harder. 
These  maneuvers  would  have  been  impossible  a  few 
years  before.  But  the  second  line  of  defense,  as  the 
regulars  now  term  the  National  Guard,  is  a  very  differ- 
ent proposition  from  the  militia  of  old.  In  the  olden 
days  muster,  as  it  was  then  called,  was  nothing  but  a 
week's  vacation.  To-day  it  is  work,  work,  work,  and 
then  more  work. 

In  the  olden  days  enlisted  men  took  along  trunks 
filled  with  fancy  uniforms,  cot  beds,  a  case  or  two  of 
beer  and,  possibly,  a  man  to  do  the  dirty  work.  In  those 
days  there  were  tents  to  sleep  in  and  the  meals  were 
served  in  a  mess  hall,  dress  parades  were  held  and 
lady  friends  attended.  How  different  it  is  to-day. 
An  enlisted  man  takes  one  uniform,  usually  made  of 
khaki,  which  he  wears.  He  camps  where  he  happens 
to  be  at  night,  sleeps  in  his  clothes  on  the  ground  with 
nothing  but  a  rubber  blanket  for  a  mattress.  He  may  be 
covered  by  a  Pup  tent,  but  more  often,  only  by  the  sky. 
Everything  he  takes  is  carried  on  his  back.  Instead 
of  dress  parades  and  drills,  with  galleries  of  admiring 
women,  he  has  sham  battles  and  outpost  work.  In- 
stead of  mess  halls,  with  an  elaborate  bill  of  fare,  he 
sits  on  the  ground  and  eats  haversack  rations,  which 
consist  of  bacon,  hard  bread,  coffee  roasted  and  ground, 
sugar,  salt,  black  pepper,  or,  may  only  get  an  emer- 
gency ration. 

Before  the  Dick  Bill  went  into  effect  a  large  percent- 
age of  the  enlisted  men  would  have  been  unable  to 


A    COMPANY    WAGON    READY    FOR    THE    MARCH 


THE    COOK     TENT    IS    UP    AND    THE    FIRE    GOING   FIVE  MINUTES 
AFTER  CAMP  IS  REACHED 


MASSACHUSETTS  MANEUVERS  95 

participate  in  so  strenuous  a  campaign  if  for  no  other 
reason  than  their  physical  condition. 

The  physical  examinations  to-day  are  strict,  come 
at  frequent  intervals,  and  are  carried  out  to  the  letter, 
as  the  writer  can  bear  witness  after  being  turned  down 
by  the  examining  board  on  account  of  varicose  veins, 
and  staying  in  the  hospital  five  weeks  having  them  cut 
out.  Under  the  new  law  the  government  appropriates 
more  money  and  expects  more  work  of  the  men. 

The  maneuvers  were  not,  as  many  supposed,  for 
the  purpose  of  hardening  the  militiamen  to  campaign 
work.  The  principal  object,  as  already  stated,  was  to 
test  the  defense  of  the  Massachusetts  coast,  but, 
secondly,  they  were  to  accustom  the  officer  from  the 
highest  to  the  lowest  rank  to  handle  large  masses  of 
men.  The  increase  of  men  under  an  officer's  control 
tests  his  ability  and  quickly  shows  the  line  at  which  he 
ceases  to  be  an  effective  commander. 

The  maneuvers  were  largely  devised  for  the  purpose 
of  bringing  officers  face  to  face  with  conditions  involving 
the  handling  of  large  bodies  of  men,  and  the  results 
achieved  showed  that  certain  officers  were  qualified 
for  advancement  while  some  commanded  as  many  men 
as  they  would  ever  be  capable  of  handling.  They  were 
of  especial  value  to  the  commissary  and  quartermaster 
departments.  The  test  was  a  severe  one  but  proved 
that,  with  an  occasional  exception,  these  departments 
were  commanded  by  efficient  men. 

Although  the  maneuvers  were  only  from  the  four- 
teenth to  the  twenty-first  of  August,  many  of  the  troops 


96  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

were  on  duty  ten  to  fourteen  days.  The  10th  Cavalry 
left  Fort  Ethan  Allen,  Vt.,  on  the  tenth,  the  District  of 
Columbia  troops  left  on  the  eleventh,  while  Battery  A, 
of  Massachusetts,  and  the  New  York  troops,  started  on 
the  twelfth.  It  was  not  until  Friday,  the  13th,  that  the 
invading  force  commenced  to  land  at  New  Bedford, 
Mass.  On  the  afternoon  of  that  day  the  U.  S.  trans- 
port, Kilpatrick,  loafed  up  Buzzards  Bay  at  a  five- 
knot  gait,  felt  her  way  up  the  Acushnet  River  and  made 
fast  to  a  pier  at  New  Bedford,  closely  followed  by  the 
Puritan  and  Pilgrim. 

The  city  had  been  all  "agog"  for  two  days,  and  well 
she  might,  the  scenes  were  such  as  any  American 
city  seldom  sees,  and  New  Bedford  considered  herself 
remarkably  fortunate  to  be  able  to  witness  the  spectacle. 

All  that  afternoon  the  moving  troops  filled  the 
narrow  streets,  while  bulky  auto  trucks  of  the  quarter- 
master's department  rumbled  back  and  forth  as  they 
moved  commissary  supplies  and  ammunition  to  the 
front.  Crowds  stood  in  gaping  wonder  at  the  strange 
and  interesting  sights,  windows  and  roofs  were  crowded, 
every  available  place  from  which  a  good  sight  of  the 
soldiers  could  be  obtained  was  filled.  Many  had 
dreamed  of  such  things  but  had  never  expected  to 
see  them,  at  any  rate  not  in  the  staid  old  thoroughfare 
of  their  town. 

Order  gradually  came  out  of  the  chaos  of  boxes, 
stacked  arms,  cavalry  horses  and  mixed  companies  on 
the  water  front  and  shortly  after  three  o'clock  the 
troops  began  to  move  inland.  The  route  of  march  led 


MASSACHUSETTS  MANEUVERS  97 

through  the  northern  end  of  the  town  and  out  into 
the  country,  and  finally,  bit  by  bit,  the  long  line  of 
infantry,  cavalry  and  artillery  was  broken  into  seg- 
ments and  sent  into  various  fields  for  temporary 
camps,  and  when  the  sun  came  up  on  Saturday  morn- 
ing, General  Bliss's  Red  Army  was  ready  for  its  ad- 
vance on  Boston.  It  also  found  General  Pew  and  his 
Blue  Army  on  its  way  to  the  front  and  when  night 
came  its  line  of  defense  extended  from  Taunton  to 
Plymouth,  over  seventeen  miles.  On  the  extreme  left 
was  the  9th  infantry  then  the  8th  and  5th,  forming  the 
1st  Brigade  at  Halifax;  then  came  the  Provisional 
Brigade  at  Division  headquarters,  including  the  1st 
and  2d  Corps  of  Cadets,  Troop  A,  Batteries  A,  C  and  D 
at  Robin  Pond.  The  1st  Brigade,  made  up  of  the 
Coast  Artillery  Corps,  2d  Regiment  and  6th  Regiment 
at  Paper  Mill  Village,  near  Bridgewater,  with  Troops 
A  and  D  at  Scotland. 

Saturday  night  was  one  of  the  coldest  of  that  sum- 
mer, and  the  soldiers  of  both  armies  were  too  cold  to 
sleep  much,  but  lay  shivering  all  night,  and  were  only 
too  glad  when  reveille  blew  at  four  o'clock. 

On  Sunday  the  Brigade  camps  were  spread  out, 
each  command  sending  a  battalion  of  infantry  on  out- 
post duty.  The  battalion  in  turn,  sent  squads  and 
companies  to  patrol  and  reconnoiter  all  roads  several 
miles  in  advance.  The  3d  battalion  of  the  8th  Regi- 
ment, Blue  Army,  under  the  command  of  Major  Perry, 
was  advanced  as  far  south  as  South  Halifax. 

The  movements  of  the  invading  Red  Army   on 


98  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

Sunday  consisted  of  a  simple  advance  and  at  night  it 
camped  south  of  Lake  Assawampsett  and  Long  Pond. 
During  the  day  miles  of  wire  had  been  laid  in  advance 
toward  Taunton  and  cavalry  and  bicycle  scouts  were 
sent  off  in  that  direction,  giving  every  indication  that 
General  Bliss  intended  to  strike  the  Blue  Army's  right 
flank. 

Waiting  several  hours  the  next  morning,  apparently 
with  the  idea  of  giving  General  Pew  an  opportunity  to 
act  upon  the  information  which  his  scouts  brought  in, 
General  Bliss  suddenly  shifted  his  forces  some  ten  miles 
east,  sending  his  cavalry  directly  north  to  capture  Mid- 
dleboro.  The  Red  cavalry  scouts  ran  into  the  point 
of  the  advance  guard  of  the  8th  Regiment  about  a 
mile  north  of  Middleboro  at  eleven  o'clock  and  were  fired 
upon.  Both  parties  made  a  hasty  retreat.  The 
shots,  however,  brought  up  the  1st  battalion  of  the 
8th  Regiment,  who  entrenched  on  Pratt's  Hill,  just 
out  of  the  town,  which  they  held  until  nearly  one 
o'clock,  when  the  10th  Cavalry  charged  the  hill,  re- 
enforced  by  the  New  Jersey  Cavalry  and  the  Con- 
necticut bicycle  squad.  It  was  almost  history  repeat- 
ing itself.  There  was  San  Juan  again,  even  to  Richard 
Harding  Davis,  who  was  following  the  maneuvers  for 
Collier's  Weekly. 

The  battalion  of  the  8th  was  driven  back,  but  they 
retired  in  good  order  with  small  loss. 

At  night  the  invading  army  had  advanced  about 
seven  miles.  Its  advance  force  was  in  possession  of 
Middleboro  and  its  main  army  was  located  at  Rock, 


MASSACHUSETTS  MANEUVERS  99 

about  eight  miles  south  of  the  city.  General  Bliss 
stated  that  he  had  suddenly  changed  his  plans  and 
advanced  on  the  right  flank  because  General  Pew  had 
gone  to  the  trouble  of  blowing  up  several  bridges  the 
other  way. 

As  night  closed  in  the  drizzling  rain  which  had  been 
coming  down  from  time  to  time  during  the  day  turned 
into  a  downpour  and  added  to  the  discomfort  of  the 
preceding  nights  of  chilly  atmosphere.  Streets  and 
hotels  of  Middleboro  were  crowded  with  soldiers, 
sightseers  and  war  correspondents,  the  latter  really 
forming  a  third  army.  When  the  two  armies  pitched 
their  camps,  green  soldiers  lay  down  to  sleep  in  pools 
of  water  and  sentries  had  hard  work  lifting  their  feet 
in  waterlogged  shoes.  All  night  long  the  rain  came 
down  in  torrents. 

The  next  morning  more  than  one  soldier  repeated 
Sherman's  famous  aphorism  as  he  pulled  himself  to- 
gether and  fell  into  line  at  four  o'clock,  with  a  north- 
easter, the  worst  for  many  a  month,  threatening  to 
blow  away  the  camp.  Shortly  after  five  the  Red  Army 
advanced  with  a  screen  of  cavalry  thrown  out  on  its 
left.  This  cavalry  soon  encountered  a  Blue  force  at 
"The  Green,"  two  miles  north  of  Middleboro,  which 
finally  fell  back  on  the  rise  outside  of  the  little  hamlet 
of  Eddyville.  Here  for  three  hours  Colonel  Sweetser's 
regiment,  the  8th  Mass.,  lay  in  the  slanting  drive  of  the 
rain  and  fired  from  behind  solid  stone  walls  and  mossy 
headstones  of  the  old  graveyard  on  the  hill,  and  held 
at  bay  the  entire  strength  of  the  Red  Army.  Just 


100  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

as  the  8th  was  about  to  retreat  before  the  fierce  attack 
of  the  7th  New  York,  the  Battery  A  machine  guns 
got  into  action.  This  required  the  Red  Army  to  hold 
up  until  its  field  artillery  could  be  brought  up  and  put 
the  machine  guns  out  of  business.  After  this  there  was 
nothing  for  the  Blue  Army  to  do  but  retreat  in  good 
order,  and  at  one  o'clock  the  Red  Army  had  an  advance 
of  eight  miles  to  its  credit. 

As  night  approached  it  found  the  men  of  both 
armies  drenched  to  the  skin  and  facing  a  tough  propo- 
sition. Not  a  dry  spot  in  or  near  the  camps  was  to  be 
found  and,  in  most  cases,  the  blankets  that  the  soldiers 
were  to  throw  over  them  were  as  wet  as  was  their 
clothing.  The  weather  was  cold  and  it  was  still  rain- 
ing in  torrents.  However,  the  men  were  pretty  well 
exhausted  after  the  long  march  in  the  mud  and  rain, 
with  water-soaked  coats  on,  Pup  tents  and  blankets 
rolled  horse  collar  about  their  necks,  and  slept  in  spite 
of  the  existing  conditions.  For  two  days  and  a  night 
it  had  rained  without  let  up.  All  the  roads  had  been 
converted  into  quagmires  and  the  camping  places  of  the 
troops  had  become  really  unfit  for  the  pasture  of  horses. 
The  men  themselves  were  not  only  wet  and  tired  but 
they  were  bruised  and  footsore. 

The  Red  Army  camped  between  Plympton  and 
North  Carver,  and  the  outlook  for  General  Pew  was 
bad.  It  seemed  as  though  the  Red  Army  had  got  the 
jump  on  him,  but  he  was  cleverly  concentrating  his 
army  without  taking  the  press  into  his  confidence. 

On  Wednesday  morning  the  rain  was  still  falling, 


MASSACHUSETTS  MANEUVERS          101 

the  men  from  both  sides  had  had  a  bad  night  but  ap- 
peared contented  even  though  they  were  still  wet  to  the 
skin. 

There  were  repeated  skirmishes  as  the  Reds  ad- 
vanced. General  Bliss's  main  body  was  marching 
directly  north  over  the  road  which  leads  from  Plympton 
to  Bryantville,  by  way  of  Monponset  Pond,  while 
on  a  parallel  road  he  had  a  line  of  defense  from  which 
a  cavalry  screen  was  thrown  out.  His  idea  was  to 
engage  the  Blue  Army  at  every  cross  road  with  his 
defense,  and  under  the  impression  that  it  was  the  ad- 
vance of  his  main  body,  hold  them  until  his  real  main 
force  had  got  a  good  advance.  It  was  a  clever  scheme 
and  worked  beautifully  at  first,  and  General  Bliss  in 
this  way  really  succeeded  in  getting  around  the  Blue's 
left  flank. 

The  Red  Army  won  most  of  the  skirmishes  during 
the  morning  and  would  have  won  the  battle  of  Halifax 
at  noon  but  for  the  timely  arrival  of  Colonel  Thomas 
Talbot  and  the  1st  and  2d  Corps  of  Cadets,  which  was 
just  enough  of  a  re-enforcement  to  check  the  advance, 
and  at  one  o'clock,  which  was  the  time  hostilities  ceased, 
each  day,  General  Pew's  army  was  holding  its  own. 

The  Blue  Army  had  been  scattered  over  twenty 
to  thirty  miles  of  defensive  line  owing  to  the  uncertainty 
of  where  the  attack  would  be  made,  and  on  Wednesday 
night  few  expected  that  General  Pew  could  rally  his 
forces  in  time,  and  the  press  of  the  country  announced  in 
headlines  that  it  was  defeated  and  Boston,  theoretically, 
was  captured.  They  did  not  know  General  Pew,  nor 


102  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

foresee  the  masterful  way  in  which  he  was  to  concen- 
trate his  forces.  It  took  long  and  fast  marches,  which 
astounded  the  Red  Army.  Even  the  regular  army 
officers  and  the  foreign  attaches  were  amazed  when,  on 
Thursday  morning,  they  found  the  Blue  Division 
Headquarters  at  South  Hanson,  with  its  entire  army 
massed  about  it. 

For  four  days  the  Blue  Army  had  given  way  against 
the  onslaughtering  of  the  enemy,  and  for  four  days 
they  had  been  credited  with  defeat.  They  were  not 
defeated;  it  was  part  of  their  game  to  fall  back  until  their 
army  was  ready.  They  were  now  ready  and  instead 
of  waiting  to  be  attacked  they  made  the  advance. 

At  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  battle  of  Bryant- 
ville  took  place.  As  on  previous  days,  General  Bliss 
sent  a  force  at  the  Blue  Line  while  his  main  army  pro- 
ceeded north.  The  1st  and  2d  District  of  Columbia 
Infantry  turned  into  Bryantville  with  instructions 
to  hold  their  ground,  if  possible,  until  eight  o'clock,  at 
which  time  the  Red  Army  would  be  at  North  Pem- 
broke, but  General  Pew,  to  use  a  slang  expression, 
"was  on,"  and  leaving  a  small  force  to  fight  it  out  with 
the  District  of  Columbia  troops,  he  sent  a  battalion 
of  the  2d  Infantry  and  Battery  C  by  a  short  cut  through 
Oldtown,  Furnace  and  Great  Sandy  Ponds  to  Hanover 
Four  Corners,  while  the  8th  Regiment  and  Battery  A 
were  sent  double  time  by  way  of  South  Hanover. 
Engineers  were  sent  ahead  in  automobiles  to  blow 
up  the  bridge  over  the  North  River  and  thus  cut  off 
the  Red  Army,  but  before  this  could  be  done  they  were 


"     r          e  "*  " 


MASSACHUSETTS  MANEUVERS          103 

driven  back  by  the  advance  guard.  At  about  ten 
o'clock  the  7th  New  York,  which  was  in  advance, 
met  the  battalion  of  the  2d  at  Four  Corners.  A  sharp 
fight  ensued  and  just  as  defeat  for  the  Blues  was  pending 
the  8th  came  up  on  the  run,  having  come  some  seven 
miles  at  double  quick.  Capt.  George  E.  Thorne,  U. 
S.  A.,  detailed  with  the  8th  Massachusetts  as  Umpire, 
in  his  official  report  to  the  War  Department,  wrote  of 
the  remarkable  time  made  by  this  regiment  as  follows: 
"From  Gurney  Corner  the  regiment  made  a  forced 
march  to  the  Four  Corners,  making  about  seven  miles 
in  one  hour  and  twenty-five  minutes.  The  regiment 
arrived  in  good  condition,  only  five  men  having  fallen 
out.  During  the  action  the  fire  discipline  was  very 
good.  The  men  were  well  handled  and  availed  them- 
selves of  both  artificial  and  natural  cover."  They 
turned  the  battle  and  drove  the  7th  back  over  the 
railroad  track.  The  14th  New  York  re-enforced  the 
Reds  and  the  9th  was  added  to  the  Blues,  and  so  the 
engagement  became  general. 

At  one  o'clock  the  Red  Army  had  been  obliged  to 
call  back  the  10th  Cavalry  from  its  dash  to  Boston, 
and  was  in  such  a  position  that  they  could  not  have 
possibly  moved  on  without  four  or  five  days  more  of 
the  hardest  kind  of  fighting.  Their  men  were  bunched 
in  Hanover,  while  Battery  A,  of  the  Blue  Army,  from  a 
position  a  mile  away,  was  sending  three-inch  projectiles 
into  the  town  at  a  rate  that  meant  annihilation. 

At  one  o'clock  the  maneuvers  were  called  off.  The 
troops  bivouacked  over  night  and  in  the  morning  started 


104  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

for  their  home  stations.  As  is  customary,  no  decision 
was  given  and,  as  usual,  both  sides  claimed  the  victory. 
General  Wood  expressed  himself  as  greatly  pleased 
at  the  showing  of  all  concerned,  and  stated  that  he  con- 
sidered the  maneuvers  of  more  value  than  any  that  had 
ever  taken  place  in  this  country  up  to  that  time.  Their 
importance  has  been  fully  realized  and  the  War  De- 
partment contemplates  repeating  them  from  time  to 
time.  The  chief  advantage  of  such  maneuvers  is  to 
test  the  supply  departments  of  the  Regular  Army,  and 
the  staff  officers  connected  therein  both  of  the  regular 
service  and  Organized  Militia  and  also  to  give  oppor- 
tunity to  the  higher  officers  to  exercise  in  the  field  the 
functions  of  command.  They  serve  as  a  school  of 
instruction  for  the  military  division  and  of  all  the  vari- 
ous units  connected  with  a  military  division  in  the  same 
sense  as  there  is  a  school  for  the  company,  one  for  the 
battalion  and  one  for  the  regiment.  A  military  divi- 
sion on  each  side,  progressing  from  point  to  point,  from 
day  to  day,  unfolds  strategical  and  tactical  problems  of 
attack  and  defense,  involves  a  high  class  of  training  in 
field-service  duties  for  all  grades,  and  especially  in- 
troduces transportation  and  supply  problems.  The 
next  great  event  to  the  militia  was  the  detailing  of  a 
number  of  officers  from  each  state  to  the  maneuvers  in 
Texas. 


A  MILITIA  OFFICER  WITH  THE  REGULARS 

DURING  the  year  of  1910  this  government  re- 
ceived numerous  complaints  from  the  Diaz 
government  that  the  insurrectos  in  Mexico 
were  securing  their  arms  and  ammunition  from  this 
country.  With  a  view  to  stopping  this  the  United 
States  sent  a  small  force  to  guard  the  border,  but  one 
sufficient  to  accomplish  its  mission.  It  was  therefore 
a  great  surprise  to  the  public  when  the  papers  an- 
nounced, without  warning,  that  twenty  thousand 
troops,  practically  all  at  the  time  in  the  United  States, 
were  on  their  way  to  Texas. 

When  this  order  for  mobilizing  troops  in  Texas  was 
made  known,  many  thought  that  this  government 
would  not  go  to  such  an  enormous  expense  except  with 
an  idea  of  crossing  into  Mexico.  Many  claim  that  the 
mobilization  was  caused  by  state  reasons.  The  first 
troops  arrived  in  San  Antonio  on  March  10th,  and  it 
is  claimed  that  the  reason  for  their  being  sent  no  longer 
existed  on  the  15th.  It  has  been  stated  on  good  au- 
thority that  the  true  reason  for  the  mobilization  was 
the  attempt  of  Japan  to  secure  through  a  transporta- 
tion company  a  coaling  station  in  Magdalena  Bay, 
Mexico,  and  that  in  return  she  was  to  furnish  Diaz 
some  mercenary  troops  to  put  down  the  rebellion.  The 
reason  given  in  Washington,  however,  was  the  diffi- 
culty of  maintaining  strict  neutrality  on  the  border. 


105 


106  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

Every  preparation  was  made  for  an  invasion  into 
Mexico,  and  the  situation  was  undoubtedly  far  more 
serious  than  the  general  public  dreamed.  The  first 
of  April  found  the  Mexican  border  patrolled  from  the 
Pacific  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  a  distance  of  about 
fifteen  hundred  miles,  with  a  division  located  at  San 
Antonio,  Texas,  and  a  brigade  near  San  Diego,  Cal- 
ifornia. Rumors  that  the  National  Guard  was  soon 
to  join  the  regulars  were  current,  no  doubt  due  to  the 
fact  that  they  were  prepared  to  start  at  a  few  hours' 
notice.  Shortly  after  the  arrival  of  the  troops  at  San 
Antonio  it  was  announced  at  the  War  Department 
that  certain  militia  officers  would  be  sent  to  Texas  and 
detailed  with  officers  of  their  own  rank  for  observation 
and  instruction.  The  writer  was  among  those  chosen 
for  this  detail  and  left  within  twenty-four  hours  after 
receiving  the  following  order: 

THE  COMMONWEALTH  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

THE  ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S  OFFICE, 

Boston,  May  20,  1911. 
Special  Orders:     No.  93. 

1.  In  accordance  with  the  instructions  of  the 
Secretary  of  War,date  of  April  22,1911  (D.M.A. 23024), 
you  will  report  to  the  commanding  general,  Maneuver 
Camp,  San  Antonio,  Texas,  on  May  27,  1911,  "to 
participate  in  the  joint  encampment,  maneuver  and 
field  instruction  of  the  Regular  Army  and  Militia" 
(Section  15,  Militia  Law),  for  purposes  of  observation 
and  instruction. 


WITH  THE  REGULARS  107 

2.  Officers   will   be   paid   by   paymasters   of   the 
Regular  Army  at  the  United  States  rate  of  pay  after 
muster  by  proper  officers  of  the  United  States  Army, 
and  before  their  departure  for  home  stations,   sub- 
mitting copy  of  this  order  to  the  paymaster,  U.  S.  A., 
there  being  three  copies  issued  to  each  officer. 

3.  Tentage  will  be  supplied  by  the  camp  com- 
mander,  but  full  field  equipment,   including  folding 
cot,  bedding  and  mess  kit,  will  be  taken.     In  this  con- 
nection it  is  recommended  that  there  be  taken  both 
cotton  khaki  and  olive  drab  uniforms,  toilet  kit,  slicker, 
rubber   boots,   water   pail,   folding   lantern,    candles, 
piece  of  canvas.     Mounted  officers  are  recommended 
to  take  saddle  soap,  folding  canvas  bucket,  nosebag, 
saddle  pad,  curry  comb,  brush,  picket  line  and  flash- 
light. 

5.  Mounts  will  not  be  taken,  but  mounted  officers 
will  carry  full  horse  equipment. 

The  commanding  general  of  the  Maneuver  Camp  will 
assist  the  militia  officers  in  hiring  private  mounts 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  camp. 

Horse  hire  and  forage  will  be  paid  for  out  of  funds 
of  the  allotment  to  the  state  under  Section  1661,  Re- 
vised Statutes,  as  amended.  The  allowance  for  horses 
and  forage  together  will  not  exceed  $4  a  day  a  mount. 

Horse  hire  and  forage  will  be  paid  by  the  officers 
personally.  Bills  presented  for  reimbursement  by 
officers  for  horse  hire  and  forage  will  be  rendered  in 
duplicate  and  will  be  accompanied  by  receipted  bill 
or  voucher  (single)  showing  that  money  has  been 
paid.  No  officer  can  receive  reimbursement  without 
voucher  attached  to  bill. 

6.  The   chief  quartermaster,   department  of  the 
East,    U.    S.    A.,    through   the   depot  quartermaster, 
U.  S.  A.  Army  Building,  Whitehall  Street,  New  York 
City,  will  furnish  direct  to  the  individual  addresses 


108  "TIN  SOLDIERS " 

transportation  requests  to  cover  the  trip  from  home 
residences  to  San  Antonio,  Texas,  and  return. 

7.  In  the  absence  of  definite  instructions  pertain- 
ing to  the  messing  of  officers,  it  is  presumed  that  they 
will  participate  in  the  officers'  mess  of  the  officer  to 
whom  they  are  attached,  and  will  individually  settle 
their  mess  accounts  upon  conclusion  of  tour. 

The  expense  of  all  subsistence  en  route  and  in  camp 
is  borne  by  the  individual  officer. 

8.  Attention  is  drawn  to  the  fact  that  any  officer 
detailed  to  this  duty  will  not  be  excused  from  further 
ordered  duty   (Infantry  Field  Officers  School,  June, 
1911,  or  Massachusetts    Maneuvers,  July,   1911)    by 
plea  of  length  of  duty  under  the  provisions  of  this 
order. 

9.  It  is  especially  urged  that  the  officers  named  for 
duty  will  so  conduct  themselves  as  to  extract  the 
greatest  possible  amount  of  instruction  in  the  time 
allotted,  bearing  in  mind  that  they  are  on  paid  duty, 
and  to  the  end  that  increased  efficiency  may  result  to 
the  several  branches  of  the  service  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Volunteer  Militia. 

By  Order  of  the  Commander-in-Chief, 

Gardner  W .  Pearson, 

The  Adjutant-General, 
Chief  of  Staff. 

To  Lieut. ,  B.  Q.  M.  &  C. 

8th  Regiment  Infantry. 

SEAL. 


WITH  THE  REGULARS  109 

In  a  subsequent  mail  the  following  letter  was  re- 
ceived enclosing  requisition  on  the  railroads  for  trans- 
portation, berth  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds 
excess  baggage: 

WAR  DEPARTMENT 

OFFICE  OF  THE  DEPOT  QUARTERMASTER 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

May  22,  1911. 


LIEUTENANT , 

Batt.  Q.  M.  &  Comsy,  8th  Inf.,  Mass.  N.  J. 
Boston,  Mass. 

SIR:  This  office  having  been  requested  by  the 
Chief  Quartermaster,  Department  of  the  East,  to  pro- 
vide the  transportation  for  the  officers  of  the  National 
Guard  from  the  various  states  in  the  department,  who 
are  to  attend  the  army  maneuvers  at  San  Antonio, 
Texas,  I  have  the  honor  to  inclose  herewith  Transpor- 
tation Requests,  P.  Nos.  167138,  39,  40,  41,  42,  43,  44, 
covering  your  journey  from  Boston,  Mass.,  to  San 
Antonio,  Texas,  and  return,  including  transportation 
for  the  authorized  allowance  of  field  baggage. 

The  Requests  for  the  journey  to  San  Antonio  should 
be  presented  to  the  ticket  agent  of  the  designated 
railroad  at  your  station,  and  after  the  rail  and  sleeping 
car  tickets  have  been  obtained,  they  should  be  dated 
and  signed  by  you  and  turned  over  to  the  ticket  agent. 
When  receipting  the  Request  for  the  Pullman  ac- 
commodations, it  should  be  stated  by  you  whether  a 
lower  or  an  upper  berth  has  been  issued  (an  upper  one 
in  case  no  lower  is  available),  also,  if  Pullman  accom- 
modation is  not  available  from  the  starting  point  of  the 


110  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

journey,  the  place  from  which  it  was  available  and  ob- 
tained should  be  stated  in  the  receipt. 

The  Request  for  the  excess  baggage  is  drawn  for 
the  full  field  allowance,  and  does  not  include  the  one 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds  which  the  railroad  carries 
free  on  every  first-class  ticket.  The  baggage  which 
you  are  entitled  to  carry  is  therefore  one  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds,  plus  the  amount  for  which  the  Request 
is  drawn;  but  in  no  case  will  the  government  pay  for 
any  baggage  in  excess  of  that  amount. 

All  baggage  which  you  take  with  you  should  be 
weighed  by  the  baggage  master  at  your  railroad  station, 
and  after  the  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  free  allow- 
ance have  been  deducted  from  the  total  weight,  the 
Request  should  be  receipted  for  the  remaining  number 
of  pounds.  In  other  words,  the  Request  should  be 
receipted  for  only  such  excess  baggage  over  the  one 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds  which  is  carried  free,  as  is 
actually  transported. 

Similar  action  should  be  taken  on  the  return  jour- 
ney. 

Please  acknowledge  receipt. 

Respectfully, 
399-32  M .  Gray  Zalinski, 

incls.  Deputy  Q.  M.  General,  U.  S.  Army, 

Depot  Quartermaster, 

by  R.  S.  Granger, 

Capt.  &  Quartermaster,  U.  S.  A., 
Assistant. 

At  San  Antonio  there  were  about  fourteen  thousand 
men  camped  just  beyond  the  city  limits  near  Fort  Sam 
Houston.  I  had  expected  to  find  the  city  a  wild  western 


WITH  THE  REGULARS  111 

kind  of  place  surrounded  by  Alkali  desert  and  cactus 
plant.  But  to  my  surprise  found  it  the  center  of  many 
miles  of  fertile  black  soil,  producing  cotton,  cattle, 
mohair,  and  wool,  corn,  millet,  onions,  and  an  occasional 
field  of  rice.  Land  that  six  years  ago  could  have  been 
purchased  for  thirty  dollars  an  acre  is  to-day,  by  means 
of  artesian  wells  and  irrigation,  producing  one  hundred 
and  fifty  bushels  of  corn  or  a  carload  of  onions  to  the 
acre  and  selling  for  $75  to  $400  per  acre.  The  city 
itself  is,  for  a  place  of  one  hundred  thousand,  a  wonder. 
It  is  the  largest  and  oldest  of  Texas  cities,  and  pos- 
sesses historical  and  picturesque  show  places,  which  in  a 
foreign  country  would  be  visited  by  thousands  of 
worshiping  Americans.  The  city  is  dotted  with  pretty 
little  plazas,  twenty-one  in  all.  It  has  several  hotels 
which  would  compare  favorably  with  any  in  our  largest 
cities,  and  at  night  the  streets  are  arched  with  electric 
light.  The  roof  gardens  are  crowded  with  pretty 
women  and  officers  and  foreign  attaches  in  bright  uni- 
forms. The  plazas  are  filled  with  Mexicans,  and  the 
soft  music  of  stringed  instruments  may  be  heard  com- 
ing from  the  open-air  restaurants  where  chili-con-carne, 
tamales  and  many  other  Mexican  dishes  may  be  pur- 
chased. But  possibly  San  Antonio  is  best  known  as 
the  home  of  the  Alamo.  Built  in  1718  by  the  monks 
as  a  mission,  it  has  withstood  many  attacks  of  the  In- 
dians, and  in  1836  was  the  last  rallying  place  of  Travis, 
Crockett,  and  Bowie,  and  their  devoted  band  of 
patriots,  who  fought  for  the  freedom  of  Texas  until  the 
last  man  was  killed.  It  is  to  the  southwest  what 


112  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

Bunker  Hill  is  to  the  east. 

It  is  a  bit  disturbing  to  be  unable  to  tell  more  of 
this  interesting  city  for  lack  of  space,  especially  when 
one's  impressions  are  so  favorable.  But  my  story  is 
of  the  army,  so  I  must  only  mention  the  existence 
of  a  Mexican  quarter,  of  a  residential  section  with 
hundreds  of  fine  homes,  hot  sulphur  wells,  clubs,  and 
the  famous  Buck  Horn  Saloon. 

The  camp  at  San  Antonio  had  been  in  existence  a 
month  when  I  arrived  and  was  running  as  smoothly 
as  any  well-oiled  piece  of  machinery.  I  found  it  sit- 
uated on  a  waterless,  treeless,  verdureless  plateau  of 
prairie  land  about  five  miles  from  the  heart  of  the  city, 
and  near  Fort  Sam  Houston,  whose  red  tile  roofs  could 
easily  be  seen,  with  the  church  spires  of  the  city  in  the 
background,  to  the  south,  while  to  the  west  and  east 
roll  unkept  gray  prairies.  General  Carter's  Division 
Headquarters,  where  I  reported  for  orders,  were  on  a 
slight  elevation,  giving  a  fine  view  of  the  camp  which 
seemed  to  stretch  to  the  horizon.  Avenue  after  avenue 
of  khaki  tents  containing  the  U.  S.  A.  rose  like  mounds 
of  yellow  desert  sand  covering  thousands  of  acres.  It 
was  a  beautiful  morning,  the  sun  not  yet  high  enough 
to  be  uncomfortable.  Bugle  calls  echoed  across  the 
wide  spaces.  Off  in  the  distance  a  cavalry  regiment 
stood  out  against  the  sky  line.  Half  a  mile  away  a 
line  of  infantry  obeyed  the  command,  "  Open  chambers, 
close  chambers,"  with  simultaneous  click.  Half  a 
dozen  bands  practised  in  different  sections.  Proces- 
sions of  loaded  wagons  and  pack  mules  moved  in  differ- 


WITH  THE  REGULARS  113 

ent  directions.  The  smoke  from  a  hundred  incinerators 
curled  upward  into  the  vivid  blue  sky  of  southern  Texas. 
As  I  stood  trying  to  accustom  myself  to  the  wonderful 
sight  before  me,  a  scouting  aeroplane  sailed  like  a  great 
hawk  overhead.  All  that  I  saw  this  first  morning  I 
soon  found  was  a  small  part  of  the  day's  continuous 
activity,  and  in  spite  of  the  seeming  disorganization  I 
found  all  was  regular  and  orderly.  Everyone  had  his 
work  cut  out  for  him,  all  did  their  part  and  did  it 
thoroughly,  which  explains  why  everything  moved 
like  clockwork  in  the  great  camp. 

At  Division  Headquarters  I  received  the  following 
memorandum  of  my  assignment  to  the  13th  Infantry: 

HEADQUARTERS  MANEUVER  DIVISION 
SAN  ANTONIO,  TEXAS 

May  27,  1911. 
Memorandum 

Lieutenant ,  B.  Q.  M.  &  C.,  8th  Inf.,  M.  V.  M., 

having  reported  at  these  headquarters  this  date  pur- 
suant to  instructions  from  the  Secretary  of  War,  is 
hereby  attached,  for  duty,  to  an  officer  of  equal  rank 
in  the  13th  Infantry,  and  will  report  in  person  to  the 
Commanding  General,  2d  Brigade,  for  assignment 
accordingly. 

By  command  of  Major-General  Carter 

A.  T.  Ladd, 

Lieut. -Colonel,  Adjutant-General, 
Division  Adjutant. 


114  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

I  reported  at  once  to  this  regiment,  made  my  official 
call  upon  the  commanding  officer,  Colonel  Lough- 
borough,  and  was  attached  to  the  1st  Battalion  with 
Lieutenant  Joe  Tapham,  who  is  well  known  at  Sea 
Girt  and  other  places  for  his  shooting.  The  next  few 
days  I  had  much  time  to  myself,  which  allowed  me  to 
ride  about  the  great  camp  examining  and  questioning 
everybody  and  everything  I  saw.  As  I  look  back  at 
what  I  did  I  marvel  at  the  uniformly  courteous  and 
hospitable  treatment  that  was  accorded  me  by  officers 
and  men.  There  was  no  question  too  trivial  nor  any 
subject  so  complex  but  that  the  officers  with  whom  I 
came  in  contact  would  devote  themselves  to  providing 
me  with  the  information  desired.  And  I  fear  that  in 
many  cases  they  were  really  sacrifices  on  the  altar  of 
politeness.  There  are  several  ways  correspondents 
may  handle  maneuvers  and  of  course  the  work  depends 
to  some  extent  upon  what  one's  paper  wants.  One 
way  is  to  sit  close  to  headquarters;  it  doesn't  weigh 
much,  but  from  the  copy  appearing  in  many  of  the 
papers  it  was  what  a  great  many  were  doing.  A  divi- 
sion review  had  been  ordered  the  evening  of  the  day 
of  my  arrival.  It  took  the  division  one  hour  and  sixty- 
five  minutes  to  pass  in  column  of  companies,  and  even 
to  one  familiar  with  military  maneuvers  on  a  large 
scale  it  was  an  awe-inspiring  sight  to  see  the  infantry 
march  by  with  the  precision  of  clockwork,  to  watch  the 
cavalry  men  sit  their  horses  as  if  part  of  them,  and  to 
behold  the  artillery  handle  their  six-horse  hitches  with 
every  toggle  taut.  It  might  be  well  to  add  that  divi- 


WITH  THE  REGULARS  115 

sion  reviews  since  the  Civil  War  in  the  U.  S.  A.  have 
been  nearly  as  scarce  as  hens'  teeth.  No  wonder, 
then,  that  the  citizen  who  saw  one  of  these  reviews  felt 
as  he  saw  regiment  after  regiment  pass  by  with  bands 
playing  and  colors  flying,  that  his  army  is  mighty  and 
able  to  "lick"  anything,  especially  when  told  that  an- 
other force  just  as  large  and  just  as  good  could  be  put 
in  the  field  in  little  time.  But  in  this  great  review 
there  were  less  than  15,000  men,  and  when  you  take  up 
your  history  and  read  that  in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg 
the  loss  on  the  Union  side  alone  was  23,000,  approxi- 
mately one-half  of  our  entire  standing  army  to-day 
you  can  see  just  how  small  it  really  is.  The  personnel 
of  our  army  is  the  best  of  any  army,  and  the  officers 
and  men  would  pass  muster  anywhere  without  par- 
ticular effort  upon  their  part,  but  what  show  would  our 
army  of  60,000  stand,  however  high  in  personnel  or 
efficient  in  work,  against  Japan  with  700,000  regulars, 
or  Germany  with  over  a  million?  We  have  a  fine 
nucleus  for  a  great  army,  if  the  people  will  but  come  to 
their  senses  and  allow  it  to  be  increased. 

I  was  awakened  shortly  before  Reveille  the  next 
morning,  by  the  whir  of  an  aeroplane  passing  over  my 
tent,  but  so  accustomed  had  man  and  beast  become  to 
these  great  artificial  birds  that  it  attracted  little  at- 
tention. Soon  my  "striker"  (as  the  private  who  works 
for  an  officer  in  order  to  earn  extra  money  is  termed) 
brought  my  chow,  and  while  I  was  eating,  an  orderly 
stopped  before  my  tent,  and  with  heels  together  and  a 
"  snappy "  salute,  presented  the  colonel's  compliments, 


116  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

H 

and  stated  that  the  colonel  would  be  pleased  to  have 
the  lieutenant  join  him  in  a  ride  about  camp,  starting 
from  regimental  headquarters  at  eight  o'clock.  Nat- 
urally the  lieutenant  was  pleased,  and  the  ride  proved 
a  pleasant  one.  We  spent  the  morning  visiting  all 
departments  from  the  signal  corps  to  the  bakeries. 
At  the  latter  place  I  watched  the  method  of  cooking 
bread  in  clay  ovens.  The  ovens  are  made  by  placing 
two  barrels  end  to  end,  and  covering  with  several 
inches  of  clay,  wet  to  a  consistency  that  made  it  pliable. 
A  fire  was  then  made  in  the  barrels  which  consumed 
them  and  baked  the  clay.  They  are  then  allowed  to 
harden  for  a  day  or  two,  after  which  other  fires  are 
built  in  them,  then  withdrawn,  and  the  dough  placed 
inside,  openings  are  closed  and  the  heat  from  the  clay 
bakes  the  bread. 

Possibly  the  most  interesting  sight  to  the  average 
visitor  to  the  great  camp  was  the  picket  lines  of  the 
cavalry,  where  nearly  seven  thousand  horses  were  tied, 
but  the  sanitary  arrangements  were  by  far  the  most 
interesting  to  the  writer.  The  health  of  the  troops 
at  San  Antonio  was  excellent,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
the  local  conditions  were  infinitely  worse  than  those 
which  were  confronted  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Spanish 
War.  The  reason  for  this  is  that  the  army  has  made  a 
study  of  hygiene  since  1898.  In  army  camps  to-day 
every  bit  of  refuse  is  burned  from  the  first  day.  At  the 
end  of  each  company  street  a  hole  is  dug  about  a  foot 
deep,  four  feet  wide  and  seven  feet  long;  these  holes  are 
lined  with  stone  and  a  fire  is  kept  burning  day  and 
night.  All  liquid  is  poured  on  the  stones,  and  evapo- 


WITH  THE  REGULARS  117 

rates,  and  the  soluble  matter  is  thrown  on  the  fire.  Oil 
is  poured  in  the  sinks  each  day  and  they  are  burned 
and  then  lined.  Every  officer  and  enlisted  man  at 
San  Antonio  had  had  the  anti-typhoid  vaccination  as  a 
result  of  the  following  order: 


WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  March  9,  1911. 

COMMANDING  GENERAL, 

The  Maneuver  Division, 
San  Antonio,  Texas. 

In  view  great  danger  from  typhoid  fever,  Secretary 
of  War  has  approved  recommendation  Surgeon-General 
that  troops  that  participate  in  maneuvers  and  that  are 
not  already  protected  against  typhoid  fever  have  anti- 
typhoid serum  administered  to  them  at  once. 

Such  procedure  being  contemplated  by  General 
Orders  Number  10,  War  Department,  Nineteen  Nine, 
and  General  Orders  Number  Two  Twenty-seven, 
War  Department,  Nineteen  Ten.  Take  action  ac- 
cordingly with  regard  to  troops  of  your  command. 
Acknowledge. 

By  order  Secretary  War, 

McCain, 
Adjutant-General. 

Official  copy  respectfully  furnished  to  all  organiza- 
tions commanders  who  will  confer  with  the  proper 
medical  officer  and  arrange  to  have  anti-typhoid  serum 
administered  to  all  members  of  their  commands,  except 


118  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

cases  where  the  medical  officer  considers  protection 
already  exists. 

By  command  of  Major-General  Carter: 

E.  F.  Ladd, 

Lieut.-Col.,  Adjutant-General, 
Division  Adjutant. 

A.  G.  O.,  Maneuver  Division, 

San  Antonio,  Texas, 

March  18,  1911. 

As  a  result  there  was  but  one  case  of  typhoid,  and 
that  was  a  teamster  who  had  not  been  vaccinated. 
All  water  was  boiled  unless  it  had  been  pronounced 
pure  by  a  surgeon.  All  food  was  kept  covered  where 
the  house  fly  could  not  reach  it.  Men  are  taught  the 
necessity  of  personal  cleanliness.  Special  attention  is 
given  to  the  teeth  and  feet.  Each  man  is  furnished 
with  a  First  Aid  package.  No  soldier  in  the  world  is 
better  protected  than  ours.  In  addition  to  our  regular 
Medical  Corps,  there  exists  a  Reserve  Corps  of  surgeons, 
all  having  the  rank  of  First  Lieutenant,  made  up  of 
practically  every  surgeon  of  reputation  in  the  United 
States.  In  time  of  war  this  Reserve  Corps  would  remain 
at  the  base  of  supplies  and  act  as  experts  on  various 
subjects. 

Recently  a  machine  gun  platoon  has  been  added  to 
each  infantry  regiment.  The  platoon  has  two  guns, 
each  gun  can  push  out  automatically  more  than  six 
hundred  bullets  a  minute  (for  a  few  seconds)  as  if  a 
long  continuous  rod  of  balls  was  being  thrown  out  of  the 


WITH  THE  REGULARS  119 

gun.  It  can  also  be  made  to  sprinkle  its  shot  as  roads 
are  watered  by  a  hose.  It  can  cover  a  larger  or  smaller 
space  and  fire  to  a  greater  or  less  distance  as  the  gunner 
wills.  The  bullets  are  the  same  size  as  those  used  in 
rifles.  They  are  inserted  into  a  long  canvas  belt,  and 
this  belt  is  loaded  into  the  chambers  of  the  gun;  it  works 
like  a  film  of  the  vistascope.  When  in  action  the  noise 
sounds  much  like  a  compressed  air  hammer.  In  the 
Japanese-Russian  War  whole  companies  were  wiped 
out  with  this  gun.  The  gun  has  one  hundred  and  forty- 
five  parts.  Lieutenant  Powell  of  the  13th  Infantry  had 
trained  his  men  so  that  they  could  unlimber  the  gun 
in  thirty-six  seconds  and  assemble  it  in  forty-eight 
seconds.  This  time  is  close  to  the  record,  but  Powell  is 
recognized  as  an  authority  on  this  machine.  Several 
improvements  on  the  original  gun  have  been  made  by 
him  and  adopted  by  the  Ordnance  Department.  The 
guns,  which  now  after  constant  drill  can  be  taken  apart 
and  put  together  again  in  less  than  two  minutes,  only 
a  short  time  ago  were  considered  so  complicated  that 
it  was  thought  necessary  to  send  them  to  an  arsenal 
to  be  taken  apart. 

About  half  a  mile  to  the  east  of  headquarters  were 
the  field  engineers  at  work  erecting  a  modern  redoubt. 
The  old  method  of  fortifying  a  city  is  obsolete  in  modern 
armament.  First,  because  high-powered  artillery  has 
made  masonry,  formerly  a  big  factor  in  fortification,  a 
danger  rather  than  a  protection;  and  secondly,  modern 
tactics  have  been  so  modified  as  to  make  strongly 
fortified  points  a  negligible  quantity.  Except  in  the 


120  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

case  of  our  harbors,  mountain  passes,  the  Panama  Canal, 
etc.,  the  fort  is  a  thing  of  the  past. 

This  redoubt  was  nearly  completed  and  as  one  ap- 
proached was  discernible  only  as  a  bank  of  earth. 
With  this  masked,  as  is  done  in  warfare,  practically 
nothing  could  be  seen  to  the  untrained  eye.  The 
ground  plan  of  this  redoubt  was  elliptical,  and  was  di- 
vided into  practically  two  parts,  the  bomb-proof 
shelter  and  the  parapet.  The  former  are  nothing  more 
than  chambers  where  the  infantry  defending  a  position 
may  take  refuge  during  a  heavy  artillery  fire.  These 
are  six  feet  below  the  surface  and  seven  feet  high. 
The  parapets  are  above  the  bomb  proofs  and  level  with 
the  ground.  These  are  five  feet  high  and  formed  by 
sand  bags  against  which  is  thrown  the  earth  taken 
from  the  bomb  proofs.  As  a  rule  a  redoubt  is  built  for 
two  companies  of  infantry  and  four  machine  guns. 
Artillery  is  no  longer  employed  in  redoubts,  and  they 
will  stand  heavy  bombardment,  the  sacks  of  dirt  ab- 
sorbing the  heaviest  of  artillery  fire  without  great  harm. 
To  make  the  approaches  as  difficult  as  possible  an- 
other ditch,  filled  with  barbed-wire  entanglements  is 
provided.  The  real  purpose  of  the  redoubt  is  for 
holding  effectively  important  ground.  Providing  there 
are  a  sufficient  number  of  men,  and  the  ground  yields 
easily  to  the  pick  and  shovel,  a  redoubt  can  be  built 
in  forty-eight  hours. 

During  the  next  few  days  I  spent  my  spare  time 
riding  about  the  great  camp  always  finding  something 
new  and  of  interest.  Each  regiment  had  at  least  one 


WITH  THE  REGULARS  121 

dog,  all  breeds,  from  a  stray  tramp  mongrel  to  some 
really  fine,  intelligent  and  clever  animals.  No  one 
could  tell  where  they  originally  came  from.  They 
simply  wandered  in,  were  fed  and  petted  by  the  men, 
and  soon  became  a  fixture.  Many  were  veterans  of 
Cuba  and  the  Philippines.  They  never  got  in  the  way. 
When  the  regiment  was  on  a  march  or  a  parade,  these 
four-footed  soldiers  fell  in  the  rear  and  kept  their  place 
as  well  as  many  of  the  two-footed  ones.  Not  a  man  but 
gladly  shared  his  ration  with  them,  and  they  show  their 
appreciation  by  a  strong  preference  for  the  enlisted 
man  over  the  officer,  and  as  for  civilians,  they  passed 
them  by  as  if  they  were  the  scum  of  the  earth.  The 
soldier  man  gets  lots  of  amusement  out  of  these  pets 
and  spends  hours  of  his  leisure  time  training  them  to  do 
tricks. 

One  morning  I  accompanied  Colonel  Loughborough 
as  one  of  his  staff  on  a  ride  of  twenty-two  miles  to  the 
Hot  Sulphur  Wells,  to  ascertain  if  it  was  a  suitable 
place  for  the  regiment  to  go  in  camp.  The  thermome- 
ter read  something  over  a  hundred,  and  the  glare  of  the 
sun  on  the  white  alkali  soil  was  trying  on  the  eyes, 
so  that  the  natural  sylvan  park  with  its  growth  of 
palms  and  tropical  plants  at  the  Wells  was  very  wel- 
come when  we  arrived.  On  this  trip  we  timed  out 
horses  as  to  how  long  it  took  them  to  walk  a  mile  and 
also  to  trot  the  same  distance.  This  method  of  timing 
the  animal  over  a  known  distance  is  of  much  service  in 
estimating  distance  afterward. 

At  these  Sulphur  Wells  is  a  large  ostrich  farm.     It 


122  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

has  been  said  that  an  ostrich  is  humorous.  He  cer- 
tainly is  curious  and  wants  to  know  what  is  hap- 
pening. Like  the  old-fashioned  Harlem  goat,  they  will 
eat  everything  from  a  tin  can  to  a  cartridge.  From  the 
Wells  we  proceeded  on  foot  through  the  woods  to  the 
banks  of  a  dirty,  sluggish  river  lined  with  weeping 
willows,  oak  and  banana  trees.  Reptile  life  was  abun- 
dant. 

Once  our  way  was  disputed  by  a  great  black  water 
snake,  while  at  almost  every  step  lizards  darted,  with 
the  speed  of  lightning,  to  safety.  There  were  some 
rather  large  ones  that  held  their  tails  in  the  air,  and  a 
species  of  toad  with  speckled  backs  was  common. 
Crossing  the  river  on  a  swinging  barrel  stave  bridge,  we 
struck  out  at  a  good  clip  for  the  ruins  of  the  Mission 
San  Jose,  a  mile  away  in  the  fields,  on  a  trail  taking  us 
over  aqueducts  and  ditches  dug  by  the  monks  nearly 
two  hundred  years  ago.  This  mission  is  the  largest 
and  most  interesting  of  those  about  San  Antonio.  It 
was  built  in  1723,  and  the  carving,  or  what  remains 
of  it,  is  wonderfully  rich  and  effective. 

To  continue  and  tell  all  that  was  seen  and  done  this 
first  week,  while  at  San  Antonio,  would  fill  a  book.  I 
visited  the  hospitals  and  attended  Military  Court  — 
the  officers'  club  where  less  notice  is  given  to  rank,  and 
where  a  second  lieutenant  could  meet  socially  a  colonel. 
I  watched,  talked  with,  and  studied  the  enlisted  man, 
and  after  seeing  the  conditions  that  prevail  and  what 
he  has  to  put  up  with  it  is  hard  to  understand  how 
people  can  oppose  the  re-establishment  of  the  canteen 


II 1 1 


SANITARY  TROOPS  TAKING  A  DISABLED  MAN  TO  THE  FIELD  HOSPITAL 


A    MACHINE    GUN    READY    FOR    USE 


WITH  THE  REGULARS  123 

at  army  posts.  If  the  W.  C.  T.  U.,  or  that  part  of  it  that 
was  instrumental  in  having  the  canteen  abolished, 
could  see  what  they  have  done,  I  am  sure  they  would 
regret  their  work.  At  San  Antonio,  within  fifty  yards 
of  the  tents  of  some  of  the  men,  but  just  off  the  military 
reservation  so  that  the  army  has  no  jurisdiction  over 
the  conditions,  was  a  street  lined  with  the  lowest 
imaginable  resorts  to  prey  upon  the  soldiers.  There 
were  eighteen  saloons  in  this  one  street.  The  majority 
of  them  had  amusement  rooms,  in  which  were  many 
lewd  women.  This  condition  could  not  exist  with  the 
canteen  in  existence,  as  most  of  the  men  would  be 
satisfied  with  beer  and  soft  drinks  and  remain  in  camp, 
where  the  amount  they  drink  would  be  regulated  and 
they  would  be  taken  care  of,  the  profits  going  to  the 
company  fund  from  which  they  benefit.  As  it  is,  not 
being  able  to  get  what  they  want,  they  go  outside,  and 
instead  of  drinking  four  per  cent  beer  they  drink 
whiskey  or  impure  beer  and  bad  gin,  the  result  is  that 
the  first  thing  they  know  they  have  "shot  somebody 
up"  and  deserted,  been  promptly  brought  back  and 
become  prisoners.  These  "hell-holes"  did  not  exist 
about  our  army  posts  and  navy  yards  in  the  days  of 
the  canteen,  and  they  could  not  with  its  re-establish- 
ment. 

About  a  week  after  my  arrival  the  officers  of  the 
llth  Cavalry  gave  a  dance,  to  which  I  was  invited,  at 
the  Menger  (a  hotel  of  the  Spanish  type,  low  and  rangy, 
with  a  beautiful  courtyard).  It  was  a  wonderfully 
clear  night  with  a  full  moon,  and  the  sight  was  one  you 


124  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

read  about  in  story  books  but  seldom  see.  The  palms, 
the  fountains  playing  in  the  moonlight,  the  over- 
hanging balconies,  with  senoritas  looking  down,  the 
brilliantly  lighted  ballroom  opening  off  the  court  from 
which  the  music  of  the  band  could  be  heard.  The  hand- 
some women  in  decollete,  and  the  officers  in  their  white 
or  their  full  dress  uniforms,  together  with  the  foreign 
atmosphere  of  everything,  made  a  veritable  fairyland. 

Returning  to  quarters  at  about  1.30,  I  found  orders 
were  out  for  the  entire  division  to  move  out  at  five 
o'clock  for  Leon  Springs,  first  call  at  3.35.  Every- 
thing that  could  be  taken  must  be  carried  in  the  bed- 
ding roll,  weight  limited  to  forty  pounds.  I  had  re- 
ported to  my  regiment  with  only  necessities,  but  now 
necessities  became  luxuries,  and  luxuries  traditions  of 
the  past,  together  with  good  water,  change  of  uniforms 
and  beds.  Before  turning  in,  I  packed  my  bedding 
roll,  taking  two  blankets,  for  the  nights  are  cold,  even 
when  the  temperature  is  110  during  the  day,  a  mess-kit, 
tin  cup,  knife  and  fork,  toilet  articles,  and  a  change  of 
underclothes. 

It  was  after  two  when  I  lay  down  without  undressing 
and  slept  like  a  night  watchman  until  reveille. 

THE  MANEUVERS  AT  LEON  SPRINGS 

When  I  was  awakened  at  3.35  all  was  dark.  It 
seemed  but  a  minute  since  I  had  lain  down.  Through 
the  openings  in  my  tent  I  could  see  that  the  camp  was 
all  life,  lanterns  bobbed  about  in  every  direction.  In 


WITH  THE  REGULARS  125 

quick  succession,  a  detail  arrived  for  my  bedding  roll, 
my  "striker"  brought  my  ration  of  bacon,  bread  and 
cafe,  and  my  orderly  arrived  with  my  horse.  Wagons 
had  been  left  standing  at  the  end  of  the  company  streets 
the  night  before,  and  now  were  fast  being  filled.  The 
amount  of  work  to  be  done  was  enormous,  it  seemed  an 
almost  superhuman  task  to  complete  it  in  time,  but  at 
exactly  five  o'clock  the  regiment  moved  out,  every  man 
and  team  in  line.  It  was  beautiful.  Ten  minutes 
before  it  would  have  seemed  a  safe  ten  to  one  bet  that  it 
was  impossible.  As  the  day  dawned  it  became  hot  and 
humid.  The  men  had  been  allowed  to  put  their  blan- 
kets, ponchos  and  "pup  tents"  on  the  wagons  but 
carried  their  rifle,  haversack,  canteen  and  mess-kit 
(about  thirty-five  pounds).  Soon  the  last  of  the 
thatched  Mexican  huts  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city  were 
left  behind  and  the  trail  commenced  to  wind  its  way 
through  a  wilderness  of  chaparral  growth.  The 
column  would  march  for  fifty  minutes  and  then  rest  ten. 
As  the  sun  climbed  higher  in  the  sky  the  heat  and  dust 
commenced  to  tell  on  the  men  who  became  as  white 
from  the  dust  as  the  ground  itself.  Now  and  then  a  man 
would  fall  by  the  wayside  to  be  picked  up  by  the  am- 
bulance which  followed  in  the  rear  of  each  regiment. 
These  men  were  a  pathetic  sight.  They  hated  to 
acknowledge  defeat  and  give  in,  and  when  they  finally 
dropped  they  were  pretty  much  "all  in." 

As  hours  wore  on  the  sun  grew  hotter  and  hotter. 
There  was  a  breeze  blowing  across  the  desert,  but  that 
breeze  was  like  the  blast  from  a  furnace.  The  sunrise 


126  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

or  sunset  on  the  desert  seldom  fails  to  fascinate,  but 
there  are  few  who  are  attracted  by  it  under  the  scorch- 
ing noonday  sun.  It  is  difficult  to  realize  how  quickly 
that  fierce  sun  dries  up  man  and  beast,  and  it  was  a 
revelation  to  see  how  the  thirsty  horses  lowered  the 
water  when  the  water  holes  at  Rattlesnake  Hill  were 
reached  at  a  quarter  after  nine.  We  had  marched 
sixteen  miles  and  here  we  bivouacked  until  the  next  day. 

The  surrounding  country  was  the  home  of  rattle- 
snakes and  scorpions,  the  tarantulas  and  the  centi- 
pedes, a  place  where  the  grasshopper  is  four  inches 
long  and  the  sand  is  mixed  up  with  millions  of  fleas, 
where  the  toads  have  horns  and  the  redbug  lives  and 
razorback  hogs  roam  wild. 

As  soon  as  we  could  get  away,  my  friend,  Captain 
Bolger,  and  I  took  our  revolvers  and  set  off  through  the 
chaparral  which  stretched  on  every  side,  in  hopes  of 
getting  a  shot  at  a  wild  boar  or  possibly  an  antelope. 
This  so-called  chaparral  consists  of  an  almost  impene- 
trable growth  of  mesquite  trees  and  various  kinds  of 
cactus.  The  mesquite  tree  is  very  deceptive.  When 
seen  from  a  distance,  its  greenness  gives  the  impression 
that  it  is  a  restful  screen  from  the  sun,  but  only  when 
covered  by  parasitical  growth  does  it  offer  any  shelter. 
The  ground  was  covered  with  rocks,  sand,  and  alkali 
dust,  with  no  vegetation  whatever.  For  several  miles 
we  pushed  our  way  through  this  tangle,  occasionally 
coming  upon  the  white  skeleton  of  some  animal.  Once 
we  found  a  wild  cat  partly  decomposed,  probably  the 
victim  of  a  rattlesnake;  overhead  the  sun  was  at  a  white 


WITH   THE    REGULARS  127 

heat,  the  mesquite  trees  offering  no  shade.  Now  and 
then  a  heavily  moving  buzzard  wheeled  in  circles  or 
balanced  himself  with  outstretched  wings  between  us 
and  the  hot  sky  above.  An  occasional  jackrabbit  with 
his  exaggerated  ears  gave  us  a  start  as  he  shot  off 
through  the  cacti,  but  outside  of  these  and  two  arma- 
dillos, which  the  soldiers  call  possums,  in  heavy  march- 
ing order  we  saw  no  signs  of  life,  and  so,  after  three 
hours  of  aimless  wandering  through  the  chaparral,  we 
followed  the  hand  of  our  compass  back  to  camp. 

When  we  reached  camp  our  clothes  were  as  wet  as  if 
we  had  been  in  swimming,  and  our  energy  was  the  cause 
of  much  comment.  Before  it  grew  dark  we  selected  a 
place  to  sleep,  that  was  free  from  cactus,  and  stretched 
out  on  our  blankets  with  our  heads  on  our  saddles 
and  dozed  away  while  we  listened  to  the  regimental 
band  play  the  dear  old  "Prince  of  Pilsen"  and  other 
old  familiar  airs,  taking  many  of  the  men  back  to  "Old 
Broadway."  It  was  a  strange  feeling  to  be  here  in  this 
wild  country  listening  to  a  band  playing  these  familiar 
tunes  while  about  one  gamboled  lizards  and  horned 
toads,  while  accasionally  between  the  tunes  we  could 
hear  the  cry  of  coyotes.  After  the  music  had  stopped 
I  lay  on  the  ground  looking  up  at  the  sky  and  thinking 
of  what  was  happening  two  thousand  miles  away  in 
Boston.  The  stars  seemed  very  near  and  made  the 
world  seem  very  wide  as  I  lay  there  with  only  a  blanket 
between  us.  It  was  a  warm  night  and  I  was  tired,  and 
soon  I  stopped  thinking  about  Boston.  Indistinctly  I 
heard  taps,  and  the  next  thing  I  knew  it  was  morning 


128  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

and  everyone  was  hustling  to  get  his  baggage  ready 
for  the  wagon.  At  5.30  we  pulled  out  and  "hiked" 
through  Leon  Springs  to  our  station  at  Well  No.  5, 
twelve  miles  away.  As  on  the  previous  day,  many  men 
could  not  stand  the  pace  and  were  picked  up  by  the 
ambulances.  The  heat  was  intense  and  after  the  first 
five  miles  men  and  horses  hung  their  heads  and  walked 
on  silently  and  dejectedly.  The  white  alkali  dust  rising 
in  clouds  from  the  ground  made  the  men  look  like  flour 
dumplings.  Canteens  were  emptied  ere  long,  and 
throats  became  dry  and  parched,  and  many  were  almost 
on  the  point  of  suffocation  when  camp  was  reached. 

The  practice  of  these  long  hard  marches  in  intense 
heat  seems  a  needless  inflicted  hardship,  but  their  true 
value  is  made  clear  when  it  comes  to  a  real  fight. 
Hence  the  great  importance  of  training  men  in  times 
of  peace,  in  waterless  marches,  night  marches,  and  quick 
marches. 

The  next  day  there  commenced  the  largest  maneu- 
vers ever  held  by  the  army  in  times  of  peace,  the  three 
brigades  of  infantry,  the  artillery  and  cavalry  brigades, 
the  engineer  corps,  and  the  signal  and  sanitary  troops 
all  participating. 

Different  problems  were  taken  up  each  day,  some- 
times we  fought  an  imaginary  enemy  and  again  the 
division  was  divided  into  two  armies.  There  were 
outpost  problems,  employment  of  the  reduced  division 
against  re-enforced  brigade  and  the  selection  and 
occupation  of  defensive  positions,  involving  simulated 
attacks.  The  following  is  a  sample  of  an  order  which 


WITH    THE    REGULARS 


129 


would  daily  reach  our  regiment  from  Division  Head- 
quarters : 

MANEUVER  DIVISION 
SCHABSE  RANCH,  TEXAS 

6  June,  1011,  5-30  p.m. 


Field  Orders. 

No.  17. 
TROOPS. 


Indep.  Cav. 
Lt.  Col.  Morgan. 
1  Prov.  Regt.  Cav. 
Det.  Sig.  Bn. 


Advance  Guard. 
1  Regt.  1st  Brig. 

Main  Body.     (In  order) 
1st  Brig,  (less  1  Regt.) 
Art.  Brig,  (less  1  Regt.) 


2d  Brigade. 

2  Field  Hosps. 

1  Arab.  Co. 

Sig.  Bn.  (less  Dets.) 


Right  Flank  Guard. 

Brig.  Gen.  Hoyt. 

3d  Brig. 

1  Regt.  F.  Art.  (less  1  Bn.) 

Det.  Sig.  Bn. 


The  enemy  with  a  force  of  all  arms  is 
reported  in  camp  six  miles  northeast 
of  14. 

This  Command  will  continue  its 
march  on  NEW  BRAUNFELS  to- 
morrow. 

(a).  The  Independent  Cavalry  will 
march  at  7.00  a.m.  via  H  and  I  to  M 
covering  our  left. 

(b).     The    Advance    Guard    will    clear 
9  at  7.00  a.m.  and  march  12-13-14. 
(c).     The  Main  Body  will  follow  the 
Advance  Guard  at  800  yards, 
(d).     The   Right  Flank  will  march  at 
7.00  a.m.  via  4-17. 

(e).  The  Signal  Battalion  will  main- 
tain communication  between  the  In- 
dependent Cavalry,  Brigades  and  these 
Headquarters. 

Ammunition  sections  will  accompany 
regiments. 

Trains  will  await  orders  in  camp.  One 
ambulance  company  will  accompany 
the  Right  Flank  Guard,  the  remainder 
of  the  Sanitary  Troops  will  follow 
the  main  body  well  closed. 
Messages  will  reach  the  Division 
Commander  at  Tanks  southwest  of 
4  until  8.30  a.m. 

By  Command  of  Major-General  Carter 
S.  C.  MILLS,  Chief  of  Sta/. 


Day  after  day  we  hiked  across  this  wild  country, 
climbed  the  barren  hills,  waded  through  long  stretches 
of  prairie  grass,  sometimes  coming  across  acres  of 
brilliant  colored  wild  flowers.  In  our  leisure  we  killed 
rattlesnakes  and  hunted  for  wild  bees'  nests  and  honey. 
Whenever  the  men  halted  for  a  rest,  there  were  always 
some  who  busied  themselves  turning  over  stones  in 
search  of  centipedes  and  scorpions  and  when  found  a 


130  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

crowd  would  gather  to  watch  a  fight  to  death  between 
the  insects.  At  night  we  went  to  sleep  viewing  the 
stars  and  listening  to  singing  insects.  During  the  day 
the  sun  would  blind  and  scorch,  but  at  night  the  dew 
would  fall  like  a  cold  rain  and  one  would  shiver  with 
two  blankets.  It  was  a  country  where  there  were  no 
roses,  but  where  everything  that  grew  had  thorns,  few 
trees,  no  running  streams,  but  an  ocean  of  gray  chapar- 
ral with  white  dusty  trails,  cactus  trying  to  rob  you 
of  your  clothing,  and  poisonous  bugs  and  insects  at 
every  hand.  It  was  the  kind  of  country  which  made 
General  Sheridan  say  that  if  he  owned  both  places  he 
would  rent  Texas  and  live  in  hell. 

It  was  with  little  regret  that  on  the  ninth  of  June 
the  water  suddenly  ran  dry  in  the  artesian  wells  and 
we  were  forced  to  immediately  leave  for  Fort  Sam 
Houston  which  seemed  like  a  great  metropolis.  Why 
the  reservation  was  named  Leon  Springs  is  a  puzzle, 
and  to  the  troops  the  name  soon  ceased  to  suggest  an 
oasis  in  the  desert  with  waving  palms  and  crystal  waters. 
To  all  who  have  been  there  it  spells  dust,  thirst,  per- 
spiration, strained  sinews  and  profanity. 

General  Carter  ordered  an  all  night  force  march  to 
the  Fort,  twenty-eight  miles  away.  But  so  glad  were 
all  to  go,  that  no  one  was  dismayed  at  the  ordeal  ahead. 
I  was  detailed  to  accompany  the  regimental  baggage 
train,  and  pulled  out  with  it  at  5.30,  starting  on  what 
proved  to  be  a  unique  experience.  Participating  in  an 
all  night  march  with  a  division  was  as  new  to  the 
regulars  as  it  was  with  me.  It  is  not  often  that  one 


WITH   THE   REGULARS  131 

is  called  upon  to  sit  in  the  saddle  and  watch  the  sun 
set  across  the  prairie,  watch  the  moon  come  up  and  go 
down  and  still  be  in  the  saddle  when  the  sun  appears 
in  the  east. 

We  proceeded  about  three  miles  when  the  baggage 
train  halted  to  allow  the  artillery  to  pass;  this  took 
nearly  two  hours,  so  that  when  we  again  took  up  the 
trail  the  sun  was  sinking  behind  the  rolling  dunes  of 
white  sand,  leaving  the  giant  cactus  silhouetted  like  great 
sentinels.  All  about  us  they  rose  from  the  level  floor 
of  the  desert,  in  some  cases  thirty  to  forty  feet  high. 
The  air  seemed  cool  in  comparison  with  the  heat 
of  the  day,  although  the  ground  was  still  warm  to  the 
touch.  But  when  we  started  forward  the  horses  kicked 
up  great  clouds  of  dust.  So  suffused  with  dust  was  the 
air  that  only  now  and  then  were  we  able  to  see  further 
than  a  wagon  ahead;  only  by  tying  handkerchiefs  about 
our  nose  and  mouth  could  we  breathe  without  choking. 
The  night  was  bright  with  moonlight,  and  but  for  the 
dust  the  trip  would  have  been  enjoyable,  so  pic- 
turesque did  everything  appear.  As  in  the  day 
marches,  the  column  halted  every  fifty  minutes,  and 
when  it  did  the  men  would  drop  in  their  tracks  and  be 
asleep  before  the  bugle  sounded  attention.  I  knew 
that  before  morning  I  would  need  rest,  so  dismounted 
each  time,  throwing  the  reins  over  my  horse's  head, 
and  lay  down  in  the  trail  in  dust  inches  deep.  Here 
there  was  less  likelihood  of  being  bitten  by  insects. 
Once,  as  we  started  forward,  I  found  a  tarantula  in  my 
hat,  and  I  found  twenty-two  fresh  red-bug  bites  the 


132  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

next  day,  but  this  was  part  of  the  game,  and  you  might 
as  well  try  to  catch  Texas  fleas  with  boxing  gloves  as  to 
hope  to  visit  Leon  Springs  and  not  be  bitten  by  red-bugs 
and  jiggers. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  reached  Lyons 
Ranch  with  its  general  store  and  saloon.  I  rode  up 
and  looked  in  at  the  door.  It  was  a  scene  such  as 
Frederic  Remington  used  to  draw.  The  room  was 
cloudy  with  smoke  and  the  men  sitting  about  the  tables 
with  cards  or  dice,  or  leaning  against  the  bar,  were  the 
kind  you  see  imitated  on  the  stage  in  the  east.  Their 
sombreros,  with  rattlesnake  skins  or  leather  straps 
about  them,  the  broad  kerchief  knotted  about  their 
throats,  leather  leggings  which  came  to  their  waists, 
cartridge  belts  and  revolvers,  all  seemed  like  clever 
make-ups.  But  it  was  the  real  thing,  and  they  had 
ridden  miles  from  other  ranches  to  see  the  army  pass 
and  "have  a  night  of  it."  These  cowboys  are  not  a  bad 
lot,  and  when  you  know  them  you  can't  help  liking  them 
for  their  sincerity  and  squareness.  They  haven't  much 
respect  for  the  law,  but  live  on  a  code  of  their  own.  In 
this  country  if  a  man  insults  your  wife,  all  you've  got  to 
do  is  to  go  out  and  blow  his  head  off,  and  the  unwritten 
law  backs  you  up  by  acquitting  you.  As  Captain  Bill 
McDonald  used  to  say,  "You've  got  to  be  willing  to 
charge  hell  with  a  bucket  of  water,"  to  make  good  with 
these  fellows.  "Come  in,  brother,  and  have  a  beer," 
greeted  me  as  I  stopped  before  the  door,  and  to  my  in- 
quiry as  to  when  the  first  of  the  troops  passed,  I  was  told 
7.30.  The  baggage  train  was  the  end  of  the  division 


WITH    THE   REGULARS  133 

which  stretched  out  nine  miles.  Does  a  procession 
which  takes  six  and  one-half  hours  to  pass  impress  the 
reader?  It  did  the  cowboys,  and  one  expressed  to  me 
confidentially,  "  My  God !  Enough  troops  have  passed 
here  to-night  to  lick  Japan  and  Mexico  and  Germany 
thrown  in."  All  of  which  only  goes  to  show  how  little 
the  average  civilian  knows  about  the  comparative 
strength  of  our  army  with  foreign  nations. 

The  moon  went  down  about  two,  and  until  day 
dawned  it  was  all  I  could  do  to  keep  awake.  Time  and 
again  I  went  to  sleep,  to  be  awakened  by  a  lurch  which 
nearly  sent  me  off  my  saddle.  Finally  I  dismounted  and 
walked  for  miles.  At  every  halt  my  horse  would  try 
and  lie  down,  and  a  horse  must  be  pretty  tired  to  do 
that.  As  day  dawned  everyone  presented  a  laughable 
picture,  with  blackened  faces  and  whitened  hair  and 
eyebrows.  With  the  light  we  all  felt  better,  and  after 
reaching  camp  at  6.15,  some  of  the  enlisted  men  actually 
got  out  and  played  ball.  Practically  no  one  thought  of 
taking  any  sleep.  The  actual  time  made  by  the 
Thirteenth  Infantry  was  ten  hours  and  eleven  minutes, 
including  ten-minute  stops  every  fifty  minutes,  a  dis- 
tance of  approximately  twenty-eight  miles. 

ON  THE  BANKS  OF  THE  Rio  GRANDE 

The  next  day  I  left  for  Eagle  Pass  on  the  Rio  Grande, 
one  hundred  and  six  miles  as  the  aeroplane  travels. 
My  disgust  for  the  country  increased  in  geometric 
progression  with  each  hour  I  spent  on  the  trip.  The 


134  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

country  through  which  I  traveled  was  flatter,  dryer, 
hotter,  and  less  interesting  than  that  at  Leon  Sp tings. 
There  were  stretches  for  miles  with  not  even  cactus 
or  sage  brush  to  relieve  the  eyes  or  mark  the  way. 
It  is  this  strip  of  country  that  we  actually  went  to  war 
with  Mexico  over,  and  as  Richard  Harding  Davis 
says:  We  should  go  to  war  with  Mexico  again  and 
force  her  to  take  it  back.  No  one  who  has  not  seen 
the  utter  desolateness  of  the  place  can  appreciate  the 
barrenness  from  description.  It  is  a  country  where 
hardly  twenty-five  centimeters  of  rain  fall  in  a  year,  a 
place  of  sand  storms  and  burning  heat  and  no  natural 
deposit  of  water,  where  the  thermometer  goes  as  high 
as  one  hundred  and  seventeen  in  the  shade  and  one 
hundred  and  fifty  in  the  sun,  where  cattle  die  of  starva- 
tion and  practically  no  white  men  live.  It  is  Mexican 
in  its  people,  its  language,  and  its  mode  of  life.  The 
inhabitants  of  this  wilderness  are  ranch-owners  and 
their  cowboys.  A  ranch  consists  of  a  saloon  and  a  few 
thatched  adobe  houses.  These  ranches  are  on  an 
average  twenty  miles  apart.  Life  in  the  field  in  this 
country  is  as  near  that  of  the  stone  age  as  men  often 
come. 

At  Eagle  Pass  were  two  troops  of  the  Third  Cavalry. 
They  were  camped  among  the  ruins  of  old  Fort  Duncan, 
which  was  abandoned  and  allowed  to  fall  into  decay 
about  twelve  years  ago.  These  two  troops  patroled  the 
bank  of  the  river  for  fifty  miles  in  either  direction.  On 
the  east  they  touched  another  troop  of  the  Third,  who 
in  turn  patroled  fifty  miles  beyond,  while  to  the  west 


WITH    THE    REGULARS  135 

was  a  detachment  of  six  mounted  infantrymen.  In 
this  way  a  constant  patrol  was  kept  up  from  the  Pacific 
Ocean  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

I  arrived  at  Eagle  Pass  about  seven  P.M.,  and  re- 
ported to  the  officer  in  command,  Captain  Van  Way. 
I  found  the  camp  situated  on  slightly  elevated  ground 
with  a  picturesque  setting.  The  sun  was  seeking  the 
peaks  of  the  barren  hills  to  the  west,  their  long  shadows 
nearly  reaching  to  the  adobe  ruins  of  the  old  fort.  In 
front  flowed  the  historical  Rio  Grande.  It  was  muddy 
and  sluggish,  but  it  was  water  and  wet,  and  bespoke  of 
life  and  vegetation  after  many  miles  of  desert.  This 
great  river,  starting  as  it  does  in  the  San  Juan  Moun- 
tains in  Colorado,  flows  generally  southeast  into  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  forms  on  its  way  the  entire  bound- 
ary between  Texas  and  Mexico,  eighteen  hundred 
miles  long.  At  all  points  along  the  course  eager  hands 
seize  it  and  appropriate  its  substance  for  irrigation 
purposes  until  during  the  summer  it  ceases  being  a 
howling,  rushing,  dangerous  stream,  and  late  in  the  fall 
hardly  more  than  dampness  is  left  in  the  bed.  It  is 
impoverished  that  many  may  be  fed. 

My  stay  at  this  post  was  made  especially  inter- 
esting by  the  kindness  and  courtesies  of  Captain  Van 
Way,  who  accompanied  me  on  my  trips  across  the  bor- 
der. He  had  just  made,  prior  to  my  arrival,  a  record 
ride  of  one  hundred  miles  in  a  little  less  than  twenty- 
four  hours.  He  had  accompanied  the  colonel  down  the 
river  fifty  miles  below  his  patrol,  and  on  his  return  in  an 
off-hand  way  continued  to  ride  all  day  and  all  night, 


136  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

changing  horses  at  the  different  camps.  But  Captain 
Van  Way  looks  capable  of  doing  that  kind  of  a  "stunt" 
once  a  week.  Another  man  whom  I  was  fortunate 
enough  to  meet,  and  later  came  to  feel  as  if  I  knew,  was 
First  Lieutenant  Kelton  L.  Pepper,  Twenty-third  In- 
fantry. Pepper  was  in  command  of  the  detail  of  six 
men  who  met  the  Eagle  Pass  detail  fifty  miles  to  the 
west.  He  had  practically  been  exiled,  for  although  the 
detail  of  unlisted  men  was  changed  every  three  weeks, 
he  had  been  kept  here  for  five  months  from  his  family 
and  friends,  in  the  most  God-forsaken  place  imaginable, 
—  twenty-one  miles  from  the  nearest  house,  no  shade 
whatever,  and  with  drinking  water  that  had  to  be 
strained  through  the  teeth.  When  I  met  him  he  was  a 
physical  wreck.  He  had  dysentery  and  had  lost 
nearly  sixty  pounds.  He  was  so  nervous  that  he  could 
scarcely  lift  a  cup  to  his  lips.  His  only  complaint 
was  that  there  had  been  no  fighting  or  attempt  to  cross 
the  border  upon  his  patrol  to  relieve  the  monotony. 
With  the  exception  of  a  man  who  passed  the  fifth  of 
each  month  in  an  automobile,  not  one  solitary  person 
had  been  seen.  Pepper  stated  that  at  times  he  had 
grown  so  nervous  he  had  turned  his  revolver  over  to 
one  of  his  men,  not  daring  to  keep  it  himself.  It  was  a 
particularly  pathetic  sight  to  see  this  young  man,  with 
a  taste  and  fondness  for  the  pleasant  things  of  this 
world,  living  here  in  the  desert  wilderness  with  only 
bacon  three  times  a  day  and  nothing  but  bad  smelling 
alkali  water  to  silence  the  thirst  that  followed. 

He  was  as  glad  to  see  me  as  a  brother  and  talked  for 


WITH    THE    REGULARS  137 

hours  about  God's  country  with  tears  in  his  eyes.  He 
asked  about  current  events,  the  theaters,  the  men  at 
San  Antonio,  all  in  detail.  I  felt  sorry  when  I  left 
Pepper,  and  I  am  told  that  he  has  since  been  retired 
on  account  of  his  health,  with  three-quarter  pay. 

Enlisted  men  were  not  allowed  to  cross  the  border 
in  their  uniform,  and  commanding  officers  in  most  cases 
preferred  that  the  officers  should  not  do  so,  and  their 
wishes  were  respected. 

Most  of  the  Mexican  border  cities  have  race  tracks, 
gambling  tables,  cock  fights  and  lotteries,  with  a  bull- 
fight every  Sunday.  A  well-filled  cartridge  belt  with  a 
couple  of  automatics  command  more  respect  than 
Uncle  Sam's  uniform,  unless  it  is  equally  well  backed  up. 

Ciudad  Porfirio  Diaz,  or  Padris  Nuadris,  as  it  is  now 
called,  had  just  been  taken  by  the  insurrectos  when  I 
arrived,  and  the  international  bridge  was  gay  with 
flags,  flowers  and  bunting.  All  business  and  public 
work  were  suspended  and  the  entire  city  awaited  the 
arrival  of  the  victorious  general.  Political  refugees, 
who  for  months  or  even  years  had  not  stepped  on  their 
country's  soil,  paraded  the  streets  and  sidewalks  and 
greeted  their  friends.  Troops  of  insurgent  cavalry, 
made  up  of  boys  and  wrinkled,  gray-haired  men, 
guarded  the  approaches  to  the  city.  Their  horses  and 
arms  were  in  excellent  shape,  but  their  hats  and  cloth- 
ing plainly  showed  the  hard  usage  consequent  to  a  long 
campaign  over  the  cactus-covered  plains  and  mountains. 
They  were  a  strange  looking  lot  with  indescribable 
uniform.  Every  man  carried  three  to  four,  and  some- 


138  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

times  five,  revolvers,  two  cartridge  belts  about  the 
waist,  and  two  others  across  the  shoulders,  a  carbine  and 
a  sabre,  and  about  the  great  white  hat  many  wore  a 
band  on  which  was  written  "Viva  la  Madero."  General 
Navarro,  an  old  man  broken  in  health  and  spirit,  was 
in  Diaz  at  the  time  with  four  hundred  and  ninety-one 
soldiers,  the  remnant  of  the  Mexican  army  that  opposed 
Madero  at  Juarez.  Many  of  the  officers  and  enlisted 
men  were  just  able  to  leave  the  hospital. 

There  was  more  or  less  bad  feeling  existing  between 
these  bodies  of  men,  and  street  fights  were  constantly 
to  be  seen.  The  writer  was  looked  upon  with  more  or  less 
suspicion  on  both  sides. 

One  day  I  met  and  was  introduced  to  Miguel 
Ahumada,  for  many  years  Governor  of  Chihuahua, 
and  his  secretary,  Colonel  Antonio  Ramos  Cadena. 
They  had  been  ousted  from  office  by  the  change 
in  political  affairs  of  Mexico  and  were  on  their 
way  to  their  homes.  Ahumada  had  always  been  very 
popular.  His  visit  was  always  a  fiesta  time,  but  even 
his  popularity  could  not  stem  the  tide  against  Diaz. 

Nearly  all  the  border  towns  are  alike.  Most  of  them 
are  dirty,  unattractive  places  only  interesting  for  their 
strange  and  foreign  appearance.  The  streets  are 
largely  long  lines  of  grayish  walls  of  the  low  flat-roofed 
adobe  houses  with  heavily  barred  windows  and  door- 
ways. The  streets  are  narrow  and  the  sidewalks  are 
so  small  that  one  is  constantly  obliged  to  step  into  the 
street  to  get  along.  The  market  place  is  as  a  rule  un- 
sanitary; the  meats  are  left  exposed  to  the  sun  and 


WITH  THE  REGULARS  139 

flies.  Many  of  the  houses,  however,  have  beautiful 
courts,  and  often  the  ugliest  walls  are  found  to  hide 
the  gayest  of  gardens  with  fountains,  parrots  and  sing- 
ing birds.  But  to  one  from  the  states,  the  northern 
border  of  Mexico  is  a  dirty,  dreary  place,  and  when 
you  read  glowing  accounts  of  it  you  can  make  up  your 
mind  that  it's  only  the  conception  of  a  poet  who  has 
never  visited  it. 


OFFICIAL  REPORTS  ON  TEXAS  MANEUVERS 


detailing  of  National  Guard  officers  to  the 
Regular  Army  maneuvers  proved  highly  prof- 
itable.     In    most    cases    the    officers    detailed 
from  the  various  states  were  men  of  unusual  intelli- 
gence, men  of  long  service,  and  graduates  of  the  Ser- 
vice School,  and  men  who  had  the  time  and  ability  to 
impart  the  knowledge  which    they  received  to  their 
brother  officer  upon  their  return. 

The  following  copies  of  official  reports  made  to 
their  respective  adjutant-generals  by  Captain  Harry 
Kramer,  of  New  Jersey,  and  Captain  John  J.  Bolger, 
of  Illinois,  give  a  good  illustration  of  the  observations 
made  by  the  National  Guard  officers  while  with  the 
regulars. 

CAMDEN,  N.  J.,  July  20,  1911. 
THE  ADJUTANT-GENERAL,  Trenton,  N.  J. 

SIR:  I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  pursuant  to 
General  Orders  No.  13,  The  Adjutant-General's  Office, 
Trenton,  N.  J.,  Series  1911,  I  reported  to  the  Division 
Adjutant-General  of  the  Maneuver  Division  of  the 
United  States  Army  at  San  Antonio,  Texas,  on  Satur- 
day, May  27,  1911.  By  him  I  was  ordered  to  report 
to  the  commanding  officer  of  the  13th  Infantry,  U.  S. 
A.,  which  I  did  through  the  brigade  adjutant  of  the 
2d  Brigade.  I  was  immediately  assigned  to  the  de- 


140 


TEXAS    MANEUVERS  141 

partment  of  the  quartermaster  of  the  regiment,  with 
whom  I  remained  during  my  tour  of  duty. 

To  make  a  report  of  what  the  army  did  while  I 
was  with  it  would  simply  require  a  quotation  of  the 
various  army  publications  on  drill  regulations,  field 
service  regulations,  etc.,  etc.,  and  I  am  therefore 
limited  to  impressions  received  by  me. 

An  attempt  was  made  to  give  our  detail  of  officers 
a  systematic  course  of  lectures  and  tactical  walks,  but 
this  plan  failed  by  reason  of  an  order  which  moved 
the  division  to  Leon  Springs,  where  maneuvers  by 
troops  were  possible  on  a  large  scale. 

Before  leaving  for  the  Springs  we  had  plenty  of 
time,  however,  to  study  the  army's  method  of  drilling 
its  men  to  the  high  standard  which  they  have  at- 
tained, and  this  can  be  stated  in  the  few  words  "  keeping 
everlastingly  at  it."  Beginning  with  the  recruit  the 
soldier  is  taught  his  duties  firmly  and  kindly,  and  is 
kept  at  his  work  till  he  masters  it;  everything  is  done 
in  cadence,  and  cadence  is  sung  to  the  men  with  every 
movement.  On  the  march,  halted  —  every  movement 
is  counted  until  the  soldier  fairly  learns  to  live  in  ca- 
dence. It  gives  a  precision  and  snap  to  the  drill  of  the 
regular  which  is  envied  by  the  National  Guardsman, 
but  which  is  within  his  grasp  if  he  will  but  follow  his 
professional  brother. 

In  the  particular  department  to  which  I  was  as- 
signed I  was  particularly  impressed  with  the  transpor- 
tation question.  All  other  matters  such  as  drawing 
forage,  clothing,  supplies  of  all  kinds,  is  the  same  as 
in  any  other  business,  easily  learned  by  men  of  in- 
telligence; but  the  transportation  question  is  one  which 
requires  study,  thought  and  wit. 

To  begin  with,  an  army  quartermaster  is  the  cus- 
todian of  approximately  one  hundred  mules,  forty 
horses,  twenty-three  wagons,  a  blacksmith  shop; 


142  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

harness  sufficient  to  handle  this  equipment,  and  a  body 
of  teamsters  who  are  not  enlisted,  over  whom  he  has 
but  a  nominal  control  but  upon  whom  he  relies  to  keep 
everything  the  regiment  needs  immediately  behind  it 
at  all  times.  I  would  respectfully  recommend  that 
should  opportunity  offer  to  again  give  the  officers  of 
the  National  Guard  an  opportunity  to  see  the  army  at 
work,  that  all  quartermasters  be  sent  to  observe  this 
most  important  department. 

I  know  of  no  department  of  the  army  which  over- 
shadows our  National  Guard,  and  places  it  in  the  un- 
fortunate light  of  unpreparedness  with  which  it  is 
regarded  by  our  people  than  in  the  Quartermaster  De- 
partment. The  army  can  get  up  and  go  because  it 
has  the  well-trained  means  at  hand,  while  a  National 
Guard  regiment  is  floundering  about  trying  to  get 
started.  Every  regiment  of  this  state  should  be  pro- 
vided with  at  least  one  wagon  to  a  company,  one  to 
each  battalion  headquarters  and  one  to  the  band  and 
regimental  headquarters;  and  it  should  be  a  part  of 
each  organization's  preparedness  to  keep  in  close  touch 
with  the  necessary  mule  teams  for  motive  power,  and 
teamsters  to  handle  them.  When  the  various  regular 
regiments  left  their  posts  a  thousand  miles  away  from 
San  Antonio  their  wagons  left  with  them,  and  when  they 
reached  their  destination  they  moved  into  camp  in 
proper  order.  The  New  Jersey  regiments  would  lay 
in  the  heat  or  storm  for  hours  until  they  could  borrow 
wagons,  etc. 

I  would  respectfully  recommend  the  adoption  by 
the  state  of  the  mounted  orderly  idea.  These  men 
in  the  army  are  taught  scouting  and  reconnoitering,  are 
attached  to  various  mounted  officers  in  the  field  and 
are  simply  invaluable.  With  the  mounted  scouts  in 
its  front  and  a  machine  gun  platoon  in  the  rear  a  regi- 
ment of  infantry  is  indeed  a  vigorous  fighting  unit. 


TEXAS    MANEUVERS  143 

The  institution  of  such  an  idea  in  the  National  Guard 
would  draw  to  the  ranks  a  class  of  men  who  love  the 
atmosphere  in  which  the  scout  lives,  and  would  be  an- 
other step  towards  encouraging  the  men  in  the  ranks  to 
strive  for  something  always  ahead  of  them.  Mounted 
duty  is  fascinating  to  the  average  young  man,  and 
his  study  during  the  year  would  be  increased  for  the 
prospect  of  a  week  in  the  saddle  at  the  annual  camp. 
These  men  would  take  up  map  reading  and  scouting 
during  the  year,  and  would  soon  prove  themselves  able 
soldiers.  This  idea  would  require  a  small  appropria- 
tion for  horse  hire  at  camps,  and  such  other  equipment 
as  they  might  require. 

The  anxiety  with  which  the  army  endeavors  to 
teach  the  enlisted  man  the  knowledge  of  first  aid  to 
the  injured  might  well  be  imitated  in  the  National 
Guard.  It  would  prove  of  interest  to  the  men,  and  a 
break  in  their  round  of  drills  if  the  assistant  surgeons 
of  their  battalions  would,  say  twice  in  a  drill  season, 
prepare  a  lecture  upon  this  subject,  having  provided 
by  the  state  a  suitable  supply  of  packages,  and  let  the 
men  learn  by  practical  illustration  the  great  worth 
of  this  most  important  duty  of  a  soldier.  The  work 
of  the  National  Guardsman  must  be  made  varied  to 
interest  him,  and  lectures  of  this  sort  would  be  ad- 
vantageous. 

The  new  square  tents  for  enlisted  men  are  a  great 
improvement  over  the  old  Sibley  round  tent,  inasmuch 
as  they  give  the  eight  men  who  occupy  them  much 
better  opportunities  to  arrange  their  cots  and  live 
comfortably,  giving  to  each  man  his  share  of  the  ven- 
tilation. I  believe  these  tents  should  be  drawn  when- 
ever the  state  makes  requisition  for  new  canvas. 

While  our  detail  was  at  San  Antonio,  the  division 
was  ordered  to  Leon  Springs,  where  the  government 
has  a  large  reservation  for  military  purposes.  This 


144  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

place  is  about  twenty -eight  miles  from  the  permanent 
camp  at  San  Antonio;  it  was  made  on  the  outward 
march  in  two  marches,  each  starting  very  early  in  the 
morning.  The  camp  ground  at  the  Springs  was  a 
splendid  one  for  the  purpose,  just  about  what  would 
be  expected  by  an  army  on  the  march.  It  was  sur- 
rounded with  a  country  splendidly  adapted  to  maneu- 
vers which  were  conducted  each  week  during  our  stay. 
All  work  was  done  in  the  mornings,  and  the  men  were 
allowed  to  rest  during  the  intense  heat  of  the  after- 
noons, when  clerical  or  other  duties  were  performed. 
This  method  of  allotting  a  day's  work  at  Sea  Girt  or 
other  state  camps  in  the  summer  season  is  respect- 
fully recommended  to  the  attention  of  the  proper 
authorities. 

On  June  7th,  the  division  received  orders  to  move 
as  a  unit  that  night  marching  through  to  San  Antonio 
in  one  march.  This  was  accomplished  in  approxi- 
mately thirteen  hours,  the  men  finishing  in  splendid 
condition,  though  not  intensely  enthusiastic  over  their 
performance.  The  trails  were  dusty  and  the  night 
was  hot,  or  did  not  seem  to  be  as  cool  as  usual,  and  it  was 
a  long,  hard  pull.  Each  National  Guard  officer  was 
directed  to  remain  with  his  organization,  and  it  fell  to 
my  lot  to  march  with  the  last  element  of  the  baggage 
train,  the  Thirteenth  being  the  last  organization  in  the 
column.  The  experience  was  interesting  in  showing 
the  position  of  the  officers  in  the  quartermaster's 
department,  when  on  a  march  of  this  character,  their 
duties  being  to  keep  the  trains  tightly  closed  up  on  the 
column.  None  of  the  animals  received  a  drop  of  water 
in  the  entire  march. 

The  National  Guard  officers  were  shown  every 
courtesy  by  officers  and  enlisted  men  of  the  Regular 
Service.  Inspection  trips  were  made  to  the  field 
hospitals  and  division  bakeries,  and  officers  who  were 


TEXAS    MANEUVERS  145 

alert  found  much  to  interest  them  which  cannot  be 
made  the  subjects  of  a  report,  but  of  incalculable  bene- 
fit in  the  everyday  life  of  a  militia  regiment.  The 
methods  of  the  army,  the  ease  with  which  difficulties 
are  met  and  surmounted;  the  treatment  of  the  enlisted 
men  by  the  officers;  the  encouragement  of  the  men  by 
the  officers;  the  effort  to  make  each  other  comfortable 
in  the  field,  are  all  matters  which  have  come  under  the 
eyes  of  the  detailed  National  Guardsman,  and  must  have 
left  in  their  minds  a  deep  impression  and  a  knowledge 
of  how  to  do  things  should  the  time  ever  require  it. 
Officers  were  present  from  a  great  many  states;  many 
were  anxious  as  to  their  treatment  by  the  army  officers; 
others  dreaded  the  contact  as  they  might  if  going  into 
some  critical  examination  as  to  their  knowledge  of 
military  affairs,  but  in  almost  every  case  they  left  San 
Antonio  delighted  with  their  experience.  The  regu- 
lar officers  were  splendid  in  their  treatment  of  their 
fellow  officers  of  the  National  Guard.  The  National 
Guard  colonel  was  treated  as  a  colonel  by  the  army, 
and  each  man  was  given  the  courtesies  of  his  rank  by  his 
juniors  in  the  army.  Every  one  seemed  eager  at  all 
times  to  impart  the  information,  and  there  was  a  genial 
spirit  which  speaks  well  for  the  growing  friendliness  of 
the  two  branches  of  the  service.  It  was  my  good 
fortune  to  be  assigned  to  a  regiment  whose  officers 
outdid  themselves  in  their  efforts  to  make  us  com- 
fortable and  make  our  stay  profitable. 

The  results  of  the  experiment  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment in  sending  National  Guard  officers  into  a  Regular 
Army  camp  will  be  far  reaching  in  their  benefits.  As 
far  as  I  could  observe  there  was  established  a  fine 
fellow-feeling  between  the  regular  and  citizen  soldier. 
The  guardsman  must  have  been  impressed  with  the 
personnel  of  the  army,  with  its  high  standard  of  officers, 
and  its  ever-growing  efficiency,  recognizing  in  the  life 


146  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

of  the  regular  a  high  profession  requiring  constant 
study  and  application;  while  the  regular,  in  turn, 
saw  many  busy  men,  successful  in  their  chosen  walks 
of  life,  sacrifice  their  business  interests  and  journeying 
thousands  of  miles  to  gain  an  insight  into  the  life  of  a 
soldier,  perhaps  at  a  considerable  loss  from  a  financial 
point  of  view,  each  serving  a  common  country. 

In  conclusion,  I  can  but  say  that  upon  leaving  the 
army  I  was  more  than  ever  impressed  with  the  im- 
portance of  the  National  Guard  as  a  factor  in  the  defense 
of  the  nation.  The  army,  at  best,  is  but  a  handful 
of  men  and  the  quarter  million  National  Guardsmen 
must  be  the  nucleus  of  the  army  of  the  future. 

I  believe,  therefore,  as  a  result  of  my  observations, 
that  the  National  Guard  can  be  made  into  a  splendid, 
serviceable  corps  of  defense,  and  if  the  old  adage  that 
"if  anything  is  worth  doing  at  all  it  is  worth  doing  well," 
is  at  all  true,  then  the  National  Guard  is  worth  all  that 
is  now  being  spent  upon  it,  and  more.  It  should  be 
properly  equipped  and  instructed;  some  compensation 
should  be  given  to  its  members;  and  every  effort  made 
to  raise  it  in  the  respect  of  our  people;  in  fact,  so  well 
should  it  be  nurtured  by  our  state  and  national  govern- 
ment that  membership  in  it  should  be  made  an  honor, 
and  the  youth  of  our  land  encouraged  to  aspire  to 
membership  in  it. 

Very  respectfully, 

HARRY  KRAMER, 

Captain,  New  Jersey  N.  G., 
Regimental  QM. 


TEXAS    MANEUVERS  147 

CHICAGO,  ILL.,  June  15,  1911. 
THE  ADJUTANT-GENERAL,  State  of  Illinois, 
Springfield,  Illinois. 

SIR:  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following 
report : 

In  accordance  with  Special  Orders  No.  53,  dated 
Adjutant-General's  Office,  Springfield,  111.,  May  13, 
1911,  I  reported  to  Major-General  Carter,  Maneuver 
Division  Camp,  Fort  Sam  Houston,  San  Antonio, 
Texas,  at  8.30  A.M.,  Saturday,  May  27,  1911. 

Thence  to  the  muster  officer,  and  was  assigned  to 
the  13th  Infantry. 

Reported  to  Colonel  Loughborough,  Commanding 
13th  Infantry.  Was  assigned  to  Company  "A," 
2d  Lieut.  Courtney  H.  Hodges  commanding,  Captain 
Wygant  of  Company  "  A  "  in  command  of  1st  Battalion. 

A  tent  was  set  apart  for  my  use  and  the  officers  of 
the  13th  Infantry  were  very  kind  and  most  courteous. 

On  Saturday,  May  27,  1911,  there  was  a  review 
of  the  entire  division  by  Major-General  Carter,  and  the 
sight  was  inspiring.  The  troops  show  the  effect  of 
careful  training  and  instruction,  and  their  physical 
appearance  is  particularly  perfect.  Every  organiza- 
tion has  a  large  number  of  recruits  who  are  fast  be- 
coming soldiers,  due  to  the  constant  instruction  and 
drilling  by  their  officers.  The  transportation  of  the 
division  was  well  nigh  perfect,  both  wagons  and  ani- 
mals in  excellent  condition. 

On  Monday,  May  29th,  company  drill,  extended 
order  and  then  bayonet  exercise  —  this  from  7  A.M. 
until  10  A.M.,  with  frequent  rests. 

At  10  A.M.  lecture  by  1st  Lieutenant  Joseph  L. 
Topham,  on  the  care  of  the  rifle.  He  particularly 
emphasized  to  avoid  knotty  stocks,  cleaning  from  the 


148  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

muzzle,  although  the  present  cleaning  rod  is  not  of 
sufficient  length  to  allow  proper  cleaning  from  the 
breech.  Lieutenant  Topham  was  a  member  of  the 
Army  Rifle  Team,  winners  of  the  National  Match  at 
Camp  Perry,  and  is  ably  qualified  to  instruct  in  the  care 
and  use  of  the  rifle.  His  lecture  was  instructive  and 
interesting. 

May  31st,  company  drill,  bayonet  exercise,  skir- 
mish and  signal  drill  from  7A.M.  to  10  A.M. with  frequent 
rests.     10.30   A.M.,  lecture   by    Major-Surgeon    John 
Murtagh,  13th  Infantry. 
Subjects : 

Camp  Sanitation. 

Field  Hospital. 

First  Aid  Dressing  Stations. 

Base  Hospital. 

Evacuation  Hospital. 

Use  of  First  Aid  Packet. 

Vaccination  for  Small  Pox. 

Anti-Typhoid  Serum  to  protect  against  Typhoid 
Fever. 

Care  of  Sinks. 

Burning  all  Refuse,  both  Solids  and  Liquids. 
June  1st,  company  drill,  bayonet  exercise,  skirmish 
and  squad  drills,  frequent  rests,  7  A.M.  to  10A.M. 
10.05  A.M.,  Tactical  Walk,  under  direction  Major  Winn, 
13th  Infantry,  problem,  outpost  duty.  Thanks  to  the 
lessons  given  to  our  regiment  by  Major  Walsh,  llth 
Cavalry,  and  Captain  E.  V.  D.  Murphy,  27th  Infantry, 
during  the  past  few  years,  my  answers  were  correct. 

1  P.M.  visited  the  division  bakery  where  all  of  the 
bread  for  the  division  is  baked.  Captain  L.  R.  Hoi- 
brook  is  in  charge,  and  he  has  made  a  deep  and  ex- 
haustive study  of  the  organization,  personnel  and 
equipment  of  the  bakery,  and  is  quoted  as  the  best 
posted  authority  on  this  work.  He  has  made  a  spe- 


TEXAS    MANEUVERS  149 

cialty  on  "FIELD  BREAD,"  which  retains  its  freshness 
from  ten  days  to  two  weeks,  or  longer,  a  receipt  of 
which  I  attach  hereto.  I  do  not  believe  there  is  a 
commercial  bakery  in  the  world  as  clean  or  efficient 
as  the  division  bakery  under  Captain  Holbrook. 

June  2d,  1st  call  3.30  A.M.,  assembly  4.50  A.M.  On 
the  march  at  5  A.M.  Arrived  at  so-called  "11  Mile 
Hill"  at  9.30  A.M.,  and  bivouacked  there  until  following 
morning. 

Saturday,  June  3d,  first  call  4.30  A.M.,  assembly 
5.30  A.M.  On  the  march  at  5.35  A.M.  Arrived  at  Well 
No.  5,  Leon  Springs  Reservation,  at  10.20  A.M.  Weather 
exceedingly  hot,  but  all  troops  in  good  condition. 
Bivoucked  and  rested  for  balance  of  day. 

Monday,  June  5th,  maneuver  by  the  division, 
13th  Infantry  on  the  defensive.  This  maneuver  for 
the  particular  benefit  of  the  various  staff  organizations ; 
it  was  also  interesting  for  the  subordinate  officers. 
Owing  to  the  unfortunate  shortage  of  officers,  it  was 
impossible  to  obtain  copy  of  the  problem.  Nearly  all 
officers  are  doing  double  and  triple  duty  and  the  non- 
commissioned staff  are  overloaded  with  work. 

Tuesday,  June  6th,  6.30  A.M.,  outpost  problem  by 
13th  Infantry  assisted  by  the  machine  gun  platoon. 

Companies  were  relieved  each  hour  to  give  all  of 
them  instruction.  Patrols  and  scouting  parties  were 
sent  out,  and  as  the  country  is  topographically  ideal 
for  this  work,  the  lesson  proved  highly  instructive  and 
interesting. 

Sketching  is  done  usually  by  junior  2d  lieutenants 
or  non-commissioned  officers,  who  are  properly  quali- 
fied. 

Five  to  ten  rounds  of  blank  cartridges  issued  to 
troops  in  all  the  maneuvers. 

Back  to  camp  at  11.30  A.M.  Troops  rested  balance 
of  day. 


150  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

Wednesday,  June  7th,  6.30  A.M.,  division  maneu- 
vers. This  approached  the  lesson  of  Monday,  June 
5th.  Back  to  Camp  11.25  A.M.  Troops  rested  balance 
of  day. 

Thursday,  June  8th,  lecture  by  Lieutenant  L.  M. 
Powell,  13th  Infantry,  commanding  machine  gun 
platoon,  on  the  use  and  care  of  machine  guns,  mules, 
and  manner  of  packing  the  latter  to  avoid  sore  backs 
and  sore  spots.  Lieutenant  Powell  is  the  inventor 
of  a  number  of  improvements  both  for  handling  the 
guns  and  packing  on  mules.  I  am  reliably  informed 
that  he  has  had  his  platoon  get  into  action  in  thirty 
seconds  or  less,  which  means  unpacking  mules,  mount- 
ing guns  and  firing  one  shot  from  the  belt.  Lieutenant 
Powell  is  accounted  as  the  best  machine  gun  com- 
mander in  the  army. 

At  11  A.M.  we  received  orders  to  have  everything 
ready  at  1  P.M.  for  the  wagons,  as  the  brigade  would 
make  a  night  march  to  the  permanent  camp  at  San 
Antonio. 

On  the  march  at  6  P.M.  Delays  were  frequent,  on 
account  of  other  brigades  in  front.  Roads  were  very 
dusty,  weather  exceedingly  warm  and  no  breeze. 
Arrived  at  Braunells  at  midnight.  Allowed  one  hour 
for  luncheon  and  rest.  Resumed  march  at  1  A.M., 
and  arrived  at  Division  Maneuver  Camp,  Fort  Sam 
Houston,  San  Antonio,  at  5.20  A.M.,  June  9th.  Troops 
were  in  good  condition,  but  of  course  very  tired. 

During  my  stop  I  was  particularly  impressed  by  the 
sanitation  of  the  camps  and  the  absence  of  flies.  Sinks 
were  burned  out  daily  with  straw  and  petroleum,  the 
seats  were  scrubbed,  and  the  inside  treated  with  a  heavy 
coat  of  unslaked  lime.  All  refuse  from  the  kitchens, 
both  solids  and  liquids,  are  burned  in  the  field  ranges 
or  in  the  fireplaces. 

The  army  is  equipped  with  a  new  field  range,  which 


fc  w 


o  < 


II 


°s 

"3 


5 

u 

M 


TEXAS    MANEUVERS  151 

is  much  lighter  and  more  efficient  than  the  range  we  are 
equipped  with  in  Illinois.  I  would  recommend  that 
we  be  equipped  with  the  new  range  at  the  earliest 
possible  date. 

The  health  of  the  men  should  be  the  first  considera- 
tion of  the  officers.  The  inoculation  of  every  man  with 
the  anti-typhoid  serum  is  without  any  doubt  an  ab- 
solute preventative  of  the  scourge  of  all  camps,  typhoid 
fever.  I  would  recommend  that  this  state  procure 
through  the  medical  department  enough  of  this  serum 
and  administer  same,  free  of  charge,  to  every  member 
of  the  Illinois  National  Guard. 

As  the  protection  is  good  from  at  least  eight  years, 
you  can  readily  see  it  would  add  to  our  efficiency  in  case 
of  field  service,  besides  protecting  in  civil  life. 

I  understand  we  have  no  hospital  tentage  or  equip- 
ment, and  that  there  is  at  Washington  a  full  equip- 
ment for  each  state,  all  ready  to  be  issued.  I  would 
recommend  that  requisition  be  made  for  a  complete 
equipment  for  hospitals  for  the  Illinois  Division. 

Our  first  aid  packets  are  obsolete  and  we  should  be 
equipped  with  the  latest  packets,  and  I  so  recommend. 

We  should  be  armed  with  the  latest  pattern  of  the 
RIFLE,  as  we  have  our  men  instructed  in  its  use  and 
care.  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  in  the  7th  Infantry 
we  have  not  to  exceed  fifty  accurate  rifles.  The 
U.  S.  Army  can  reject  and  condemn,  and  there  is  no 
reason  why  we  should  not  do  likewise.  The  regiment 
will  some  day  be  called  into  service,  and  it  should  have 
a  fair  show  against  an  enemy.  The  present  equipment 
of  rifles  will  not  allow  our  soldier  an  even  chance  for 
his  life. 

The  machine  gun  platoons  are  a  valuable  adjunct 
to  a  regiment,  and  I  understand  provision  has  already 
been  made  to  equip  every  regiment  with  such  a  platoon. 
I  would  recommend  that  the  latter  be  made  the  13th 


152  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

Company  in  each  regiment,  its  equipment  increased 
to  six  guns,  which  provides  two  for  each  battalion, 
and  would  allow  three  platoons,  each  under  command 
of  a  commissioned  officer. 

The  question  of  proper  shoes  is  a  perplexing  one. 
The  army  marching  shoe  is  really  not  the  best  that 
could  be  made,  still  it  answers  the  purpose  much  better 
than  ordinary  shoes  would. 

Shoes  were  issued  to  the  7th  Infantry  three  years 
ago,  and  they  are  practically  worn  out.  Still  the 
officers  are  held  accountable  for  them.  The  members 
of  the  National  Guard  should  surely  be  allowed  to 
purchase  the  government  shoes,  both  marching  and 
garrison,  at  the  same  price  they  are  sold  to  the  enlisted 
men  of  the  army.  I  believe  it  can  be  done  without 
much  trouble. 

You  will  note  that  the  army,  which  is  in  perfect 
physical  condition,  is  worked  from  7  A.M.  to  10,  and 
rarely  later  than  11.30  A.M.,  and  the  balance  of  the  day 
up  to  retreat  is  allowed  to  the  man  for  rest  and  recrea- 
tion. Details  are  reduced  to  the  lowest  possible  mini- 
mum. 

Contrast  this  with  the  usual  manner  in  which  the 
National  Guard  is  handled  at  camp  and  maneuvers, 
where  an  effort  is  made  to  crowd  into  six  days  all  the 
work  that  was  taught  in  the  previous  years. 

Transportation  is  a  subject  that  should  receive  the 
earnest  attention  of  our  state  at  the  earliest  possible 
date. 

I  believe  a  wagon  can  be  devised  that  would  be 
superior  to  the  army  wagon.  The  new  wagon  should  be 
equipped  with  Timkin  roller  bearings  with  a  five-inch 
tire,  allowing  heavier  loads  with  no  further  strain  on 
the  animals.  I  would  consider  it  a  great  step  forward 
if  sufficient  wagons  could  be  obtained  to  supply  the 
Illinois  division.  Enough  mules  could  be  purchased 


TEXAS  MANEUVERS  153 

and  kept  employed  in  the  state  service,  as  at  Camp 
Logan,  grading,  filling,  etc.,  at  a  small  expense  to 
state.  These  mules  would  always  be  in  condition 
and  ready  for  field  service.  Same  applies  as  well  for 
the  machine  gun  mules  and  the  pack  train. 

We  would  have  Illinois  then  prepared  for  any  emer- 
gency and  in  the  front  rank,  where  it  belongs. 

I  noted  that  all  enlisted  men  at  the  maneuver  camp 
were  supplied  with  "Gold  Medal"  cots.  I  recommend 
that  our  organizations  be  so  supplied. 

The  aeroplanes  proved  interesting,  and  without 
doubt  will  be  of  great  value  in  future  armed  conflicts. 
They  are  in  the  experimental  stage,  however,  and  a 
recommendation  would  be  out  of  place. 

It  is  almost  impossible  to  write  all  of  one's  obser- 
vations and  a  great  many  of  the  minor  details  will 
doubtless  prove  of  service  to  me  in  the  future. 

The  officers  of  the  13th  Infantry  were  very  kind, 
courteous,  sociable,  and  gave  information  cheerfully, 
and  were  indeed  most  agreeable.  The  friendly  attitude 
of  the  army  officers  at  San  Antonio,  as  well  as  their 
teachings  and  example,  will  undoubtedly  prove  of  great 
value  to  the  officers  of  the  National  Guard. 

Personally,  I  derived  great  benefit  from  my  tour 
at  the  Maneuver  Camp,  and  I  desire  to  express  to  you 
my  sincere  appreciation  for  the  assignment. 

Very  respectfully, 

JOHN  J.  BOLGER, 

Captain  7th  Inf.,  I.  N.  G., 
Commanding  Company  "F" 


WHY  THE  TEXAS  MANEUVERS  WERE 
BENEFICIAL 

THE  real  purpose  of  the  recent  great  assemblage 
of  troops  in  Texas,  aside  from  international 
considerations,  was  the  creation  of  one  military 
unit,  and  that  was  accomplished  for  the  first  time  since 
the  civil  war. 

Five  times  the  cost  of  its  operation  would  not  meas- 
ure the  value  to  the  country  of  the  experiment,  declared 
General  Carter,  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  maneu- 
ver division,  upon  his  return  north. 

It  is  the  first  opportunity  that  the  modern  army 
has  had  to  get  together  all  branches  of  service;  the 
infantry,  the  cavalry,  the  artillery,  the  transportation 
and  subsistence  departments,  and  to  make  a  thorough 
test  of  what  has  been  purely  theoretical  estimates  of 
the  proper  balance  between  them. 

As  might  have  been  expected,  it  was  soon  found 
that  there  was  need  for  readjustment  of  the  relative 
strength  of  the  various  branches  to  make  one  perfect 
whole. 

The  problem  was  worked  out  by  the  test  of  actual 
practice  and  before  General  Carter  left  Texas  there 
had  been  brought  into  being  the  military  unit  which 
had  been  so  long  desired  by  army  strategists. 

For  many  years  army  officers  have  advocated  a 
system  of  concentration  of  troops.  They  want  to  see 


154 


BENEFICIAL   RESULTS  155 

the  widely  scattered  army  posts  discarded  and  the 
army  redistributed  in  a  few  large  brigade  or  even  di- 
vision centers  in  the  neighborhood  of  great  cities,  where 
there  are  facilities  for  training  and  discipline  on  a  large 
scale. 

At  present  the  army  is  thinly  distributed  over  the 
whole  country  in  regimental,  battalion  and  even  troop 
establishments,  widely  separated  and  conducted  under 
conditions  admitting  of  no  genuine  military  progress. 
For  the  practice  or  even  the  advantageous  study  of  the 
problems  of  war  there  is  little  opportunity.  Brigades 
are  broken  up  into  fragments  and  regiments  are  seldom 
kept  intact.  The  men  acquire  indifferent  knowledge 
of  maneuvers.  It  may  be  said,  indeed,  that  the  army 
is  now  so  distributed  as  to  prevent  the  purpose  for 
which  it  is  intended,  and  it  might  safely  be  added  that 
so  long  as  we  continue  this  arrangement  we  shall  have 
no  army  at  all  in  any  proper  sense  of  the  word.  The 
widespread  arrangement  of  our  forts  and  army  posts 
was  originally  necessary  on  account  of  Indian  dis- 
turbances. To-day  it  seems  to  serve  no  purpose  other 
than  that  of  making  markets  for  the  hucksters  and  the 
liquor  dealers. 

Along  this  line  the  speech  made  by  the  Hon.  Jas. 
McLachlan,  of  California,  on  the  inefficiency  of  our 
army,  just  previous  to  the  Texas  maneuvers,  is  worth 
quoting  in  part: 

"The  defenseless  condition  of  our  Pacific  coast  has 
been  a  matter  of  common  world  knowledge  for  years. 
Such  a  condition  would  naturally  suggest  that  in- 


156  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

sufficient  military  appropriations  have  been  made  by 
Congress  to  provide  for  an  adequate  national  defense. 
But  the  enormity  of  our  appropriations  for  military 
preparation  clearly  and  convincingly  show  that  par- 
simonious legislation  is  not  responsible  for  the  existing 
condition  of  unpreparedness.  The  remaining  deduc- 
tions, then,  are  that  moneys  purposed  to  place  the  army 
in  a  state  of  preparedness  are  either  being  diverted 
from  their  legislative  purpose  or  are  being  extrava- 
gantly expended.  .  .  .  We  are  spending  enough  money 
on  our  army  to  have  a  highly  efficient  and  numerically 
stronger  force  than  we  are  maintaining  at  present. 
Without  in  any  way  reflecting  on  either  the  commis- 
sioned or  enlisted  personnel,  I  charge  that  our  army  is 
wretchedly  unorganized  and  extravagantly  adminis- 
tered; that  it  is  in  no  sense  a  modern  military  force, 
and  that  it  is  unprepared  to  fight,  which  is  the  final 
function  of  an  army.  I  also  believe  that  if  we  were  to 
spend  a  billion  dollars  per  annum  upon  the  army  under 
its  present  malorganization,  we  would  still  be  without 
an  efficient  military  force.  .  .  .  We  have  before  us  a 
military  condition  which  would  not  be  tolerated  in 
any  other  country  of  the  world.  We  are  spending 
approximately  $100,000,000  per  annum  for  our  alleged 
army.  Our  enlisted  personnel,  owing  principally 
to  their  time  being  occupied  in  caring  for  useless  and 
extravagant  posts,  are  not  being  trained  in  the  attri- 
butes of  a  soldier;  our  officers,  from  lieutenants  of  the 
line  to  general  officers,  are  without  practical  field 
training.  We  have  regiments  which  have  not  been 


BENEFICIAL    RESULTS  157 

assembled  for  regimental  drills  in  years.  We  have 
colonels  who  have  never  seen  their  titular  commands 
assembled.  Our  general  officers  have  never  seen  a  real 
properly  balanced  field  command.  We  have  regiments  in 
command  of  captains,  battalions  in  commands  of  lieuten- 
ants, and  companies  in  command  of  sergeants.  ...  I 
again  charge,  and  I  again  challenge  denial,  that  the 
mobile  army  is  almost  entirely  deficient  in  field  train- 
ing and  that  it  is  entirely  unprepared  to  take  the  field. 

"Thoughtless  denial  may  come  from  the  uninformed; 
I  do  not  anticipate  denial  from  the  army  itself  nor  from 
those  who  know.  I  think  it  a  conservative  estimate, 
an  estimate  based  on  the  testimony  of  those  who  are 
daily  witnesses  to  the  nonmilitary  dispersion  of  the 
military  appropriations,  that  an  entire  and  thorough 
reorganization  of  the  army  along  modern  military  lines 
will  save  approximately  $20,000,000  per  annum  and 
will  increase  the  efficiency  of  the  army  at  least  two 
hundred  per  cent. 

"  Under  the  present  intolerable  malorganization  of 
the  army  the  troops  in  the  military  departments  are 
in  no  measure  apportioned  among  the  posts  with  any 
regard  to  the  proportion  of  the  several  arms,  so  that 
in  case  of  emergency  a  properly  balanced  and  com- 
plemented military  force  could  be  placed  in  the  field; 
nor  are  they  stationed  with  any  regard  to  the  mobiliza- 
tion of  the  entire  army  in  time  of  war.  The  troops  are 
scattered  in  nontactical  commands  with  the  sole  view 
of  caring  for  useless  and  costly  properties  erected  as 
political  tribute 


158  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

"A  field  army,  when  one  could  finally  be  assembled, 
would  be  intrusted  in  time  of  war  to  one  of  our  general 
officers.  There  is  not  a  general  officer  in  the  United 
States  Army  who  has  ever  been  privileged  by  his 
government  to  even  see  such  a  force  assembled. 
Wherein,  then,  lies  his  competency  to  command? 
Denied  peace-time  training,  our  officers  must  be  more 
than  human  to  competently  lead  their  men  in  time  of 
war.  To  place  an  untrained  military  force  in  the  field 
constitutes  governmental  murder.  Our  stupendous 
pension  rolls,  carrying  the  names  of  thousands  maimed 
or  sacrificed  through  governmental  delinquency  and 
military  incompetency,  we  point  to  as  evidence  of  a 
nation's  gratitude;  while,  in  fact,  our  pension  rolls 
constitute  mere  mercenary  atonement  for  the  needless 
sacrifice  of  life  which  has  marked  every  year  in  which  we 
have  engaged.  Until  our  army  is  placed  under  a  tactical 
organization  which  will  give  the  officers  and  men  op- 
portunity to  equip  themselves  for  the  requirements 
of  war,  we  will  in  the  future,  as  we  have  in  the  past, 
amalgamate  huge  armies  of  untutored  levies  with  an 
unprepared  Regular  Army  and  again  sacrifice  thousands 
of  lives  and  encumber  our  posterity  with  a  pension  roll 
of  crushing  proportions.  The  *  divisional'  organiza- 
tion will  largely  correct  the  existing  evils  in  our  military 
establishment.  With  this  organization,  the  farcical 
military  departments  can  be  eliminated.  Each  divi- 
sion can  be  stationed  within  a  certain  territorial  zone, 
to  be  established  by  the  military  authorities,  and  at 
stated  intervals  can  be  assembled  for  maneuvers,  de- 


BENEFICIAL   RESULTS  159 

signed  to  give  the  officers  and  men  actual  field  training. 
Until  that  time  arrives,  when  the  army  is  considered 
seriously  and  is  recognized  as  a  military  force  which 
some  day  may  be  called  upon  to  sustain  the  national 
honor,  and  legislation  is  enacted  to  place  the  army 
upon  a  real  military  basis,  all  military  appropriations 
constitute  a  criminal  waste  of  funds.  We  are  neither 
giving  the  army  nor  the  taxpayer  a  square  deal.  In 
fairness  to  both  the  army  should  be  either  entirely 
reorganized  or  immediately  disbanded." 

As  Mr.  McLachlan  says,  the  conditions  he  speaks 
of  are  known  to  army  officers  who  for  years  have  advo- 
cated the  changes  he  recommends.  The  secretary  of 
war  in  his  annual  report  to  the  President  in  December, 
1911,  declared  that  the  United  States  was  totally 
unprepared  for  war  with  any  first-class  power. 

He  attributed  this  largely  to  the  fact  that  the  army 
was  "scattered  out  over  the  country"  in  too  many 
posts,  and  to  a  lack  of  reserves.  The  army  on  the 
peace  footing  habitually  maintained,  with  miniature 
companies  and  troops,  he  characterized  as  ineffective 
for  any  serious  war  service. 

As  to  the  unpreparedness  of  the  army  in  artillery 
and  ammunition,  Secretary  Stimson  says  that  "at  the 
present  rate  of  appropriation  it  is  estimated  that  it 
would  take  more  than  fifty  years  to  secure  a  reason- 
able supply  of  field  artillery  guns,  carriages  and  ammuni- 
tion that  would  be  necessary  in  the  event  of  war." 

The  report  says  that  at  a  conservative  estimate  the 
expense  per  effective  rifleman  in  the  United  States 


160  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

Army  is  between  two  and  five  times  as  much  as  any 
first-class  power  on  the  continent  of  Europe.  This 
comparison  is  made  after  excluding  from  consideration 
the  higher  pay  and  better  subsistence  that  American 
soldiers  receive.  This  fact  is  stated  as  an  illustration, 
Secretary  Stimson  declares,  of  the  extravagance  of  the 
existing  system  of  wide  distribution  of  any  army. 

John  Adams  said,  "The  national  defense  is  one  of 
the  cardinal  duties  of  a  statesman."  But  the  politician, 
in  order  to  reach  his  own  selfish  ambition,  often  over- 
looks the  fact.  Our  army,  as  to  size,  is  a  joke  to  the 
nations  of  the  world.  There  are  countries,  one  rarely 
reads  of,  with  larger  armies  than  ours.  A  country 
of  90,000,000  people  and  3,602,990  square  miles  to 
protect,  with  an  army  of  less  than  60,000  and  a  sec- 
ondary defense  of  only  120,000.  Following  is  a  chart 
showing  the  military  strength,  population  and  area 
to  protect  of  European  powers. 


BENEFICIAL  RESULTS 


161 


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<-i  F*     o  o 

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t'^ob"  «o"oo"  eo  !>"  oT  ^f  oT 

.^.^  ~J*  S  ^  S  °  oo 

CO  00  P*  (M  ^  Tf 


Austria- 
Hungary 


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*-  °°  "I 


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162  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

With  the  great  mass  of  people  who  neither  have 
time  nor  inclination  to  study  the  requirements  of 
military  science,  no  error  is  more  common  than  to 
mistake  military  resources  for  military  strength. 

As  Homer  Lee  points  out  in  the  "Valor  of  Ig- 
norance," we  are  an  unmilitary  nation,  rich  and  arro- 
gant. Wealth  is  no  safeguard  against  a  well-organized 
and  determined  foe  and  arbitration  is  an  illusion.  No 
nation  offers  more  numerous  opportunities  for  invasion 
by  a  foreign  nation  than  does  the  United  States,  when- 
ever the  cause  is  sufficiently  great  to  induce  prepara- 
tions that  will  beat  aside  our  naval  resistance.  China 
has  reaped  the  logical  reward  of  "peace  at  any  price." 
Major-General  Story,  U.  S.  A.  (retired),  makes  the 
assertion  that  in  the  event  of  war  with  Japan  she  could 
within  three  months  land  on  the  Pacific  coast  four 
hundred  thousand  troops  and  seize,  with  only  insig- 
nificant resistance,  Seattle,  Portland,  San  Francisco 
and  Los  Angeles.  A  barrier  of  mountains  and  deserts 
makes  the  defense  of  the  Pacific  slope  an  easy  matter 
against  attack  from  the  east  and  only  from  that  di- 
rection could  the  United  States  hope  to  capture  its 
lost  territory  except  by  sea  expedition.  A  soldier 
cannot  be  created  by  the  stroke  of  a  pen  or  by  the 
impulse  of  enthusiastic  valor;  it  takes  a  score  of  men 
and  years  of  training  to  make  one  fit  for  the  perform- 
ance of  duty,  and  the  modern  war  will  seldom  endure 
that  time.  War  training  and  material  cannot  be 
purchased  in  the  open  market  at  any  price. 

Our  army  has  not  been  increased  as  the  country  has 


BENEFICIAL  RESULTS  163 

grown.  We  are  like  a  poor  man  who  goes  into  an  un- 
settled district  and  builds  a  hut  to  live  in,  he  marries, 
becomes  well-to-do,  has  a  family,  begins  to  have 
neighbors,  roads  are  built  about  him,  he  has  no  room 
to  entertain  friends  and  strangers  who  visit  him, 
yet  he  refuses  to  enlarge  his  place  because,  as  he  argues, 
it  was  large  enough  when  it  was  built,  so  it  must  be 
large  enough  to-day. 

If  the  American  people  will  not  allow  their  army 
to  be  increased  then  they  must  depend  upon  the 
militia,  and  instead  of  being  prone  to  criticize  and 
ridicule,  should  do  what  they  can  to  help  its  efficiency 
by  enlisting  or  encouraging  enlistment.  The  presence 
of  a  well-trained  militia  is  a  standing  guarantee  of 
peace  at  home  and  abroad.  The  disorderly  elements 
of  society  tacitly  recognize  that  behind  the  law,  and 
prepared  to  enforce  it,  is  an  organization  of  devoted 
and  well-conditioned  men,  who  will  accept  any  hazard 
which  the  preservation  of  law  and  order  may  demand. 
With  the  nations  of  Europe  equipped  with  enormous 
standing  armies,  and  with  the  races  of  the  far  East  in  a 
state  of  ferment,  of  which  the  outcome  can  hardly  be 
predicted,  the  folly  of  not  keeping  the  American 
militia  up  to  the  highest  possible  standard  of  effective- 
ness is  monumental  indeed. 

The  Organized  Militia  is  no  longer  considered  by 
the  government  a  kind  of  State  Police  Force.  It  is 
the  secondary  force  of  the  United  States  Army  for 
national  defense. 

The  chief  enemies  of  the  National  Guard  are  people 


164  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

who  really  know  nothing  of  its  work  or  serious  self- 
sacrificing  effort,  who  sit  comfortably  at  home  or  ride 
about  in  automobiles  at  the  front  and  criticize  unim- 
portant details.  When  these  people  see  an  article 
of  ridicule  or  an  attack  on  the  Organized  Militia  their 
unmagnified  military  intellect  will  not  permit  them  to 
challenge  its  truth,  and,  as  a  rule,  they  accept  the 
criticisms  as  true. 

Some  people  simply  misunderstand  the  National 
Guard  and  do  not  intentionally  misrepresent  it.  These 
are  the  ones  the  author  hopes  to  reach,  and  it  is  hoped 
that  this  book  has  made  it  clear;  the  National  Guard 
is  not  a  club  or  an  organization  primarily  for  pleasure 
(though  much  can  be  derived  from  serving  in  it) ;  that 
it  does  not  injure  nor  unlawfully  interfere  with  the 
rights  of  any  one;  that  it  does  not  take  his  property 
under  the  guise  of  authority,  and  that  it  is  not  an  ag- 
gregation of  "Tin  Soldiers."  The  militia  is  not  for 
show  or  to  give  its  members  an  opportunity  to  display 
a  large  array  of  brass  buttons;  the  work,  however,  is 
not  so  harsh  nor  irksome  as  to  be  a  burden,  and  above 
all  it  is  not  an  organization  under  color  of  which  its 
members  may  indulge  in  habits  that  would  not  be 
tolerated  in  other  organizations.  It  is  hoped  that  this 
book  has  shown  the  absolute  necessity  of  an  efficient 
National  Guard;  the  great  need  of  which  has  been 
demonstrated  in  every  war  in  the  history  of  this  coun- 
try; that  it  is  a  department  of  our  government  that  is 
coming  more  and  more  to  be  recognized  as  vitally 
essential  to  the  future  and  well-being  of  this  nation; 


BENEFICIAL  RESULTS  165 

that  it  is  a  military  organization,  the  respective  units 
of  which  offer  in  their  organizations  unlimited  oppor- 
tunities for  advancement,  improvement  and  social 
intercourse  as  well  as  pleasure  derived  from  association 
with  live,  energetic  young  men.  The  National  Guard 
is  an  organization  wherein  its  members  learn  self- 
control,  get  self-confidence,  improve  their  bodies  and 
develop  their  minds.  It  is  one  means  by  which  can  be 
shown  your  patriotism  to  your  country,  your  loyalty 
to  its  institutions,  and  by  which  you  can  repay  in  a 
measure  what  you  owe  for  its  protection  and  the  liberty 
you  enjoy.  As  "Arms  and  the  Man"  has  said: 

"A  man  who  serves  his  country  in  time  of  war  is 
noble,  brave  and  patriotic,  but  that  a  man  shall  prop- 
erly prepare  himself  in  time  of  peace  to  serve  in  war 
is  all  these  things  and  more.  It  is  noble,  with  a  nobility 
which  is  real  not  ideal.  It  is  brave,  with  a  bravery 
which  assumes  in  time  of  unemotional  peace  many  bur- 
dens, among  them  that  of  bearing  lack  of  appreciation 
of  those  who  do  not  consider  military  preparation  or 
training  necessary." 

Every  young  man  should  serve  at  least  one  enlist- 
ment in  the  Regular  Army  or  the  National  Guard,  he 
owes  it  to  his  country.  It  is  his  duty  to  be  prepared 
should  his  nation  need  his  service.  It  is  not  enough  to 
be  willing  to  volunteer  when  war  is  declared,  it  is  one's 
duty  to  know  how  to  take  care  of  himself  and  take 
command  of  men;  no  one  is  exempt.  There  is  work 
connected  with  the  National  Guard,  but  also  a  vast 
amount  of  healthy,  honest  sport  which  will  improve 


166  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

the  mind  as  well  as  the  body.  Unlimited  opportunity 
is  given  for  target  shooting  (the  cleanest  and  best 
sport  in  the  world),  and  a  companionship  exists  among 
soldiers  such  as  can  be  found  nowhere  else.  The  Dick 
Bill  had  killed  the  "Tin  Soldier";  long  live  the  National 
Guard. 


APPENDIX 


HISTORY  AND  STATISTICS  OF  THE  MILITIA 

/CONGRESS  recommended  on  the  eighteenth  of 
VJ  July,  1775,  to  the  people  of  the  United  English 
colonies  that  all  able-bodied,  effective  men 
between  the  ages  of  sixteen  and  fifty  years  of  age  be 
formed  into  companies  of  militia  to  consist  of  one 
captain,  two  lieutenants,  one  ensign,  four  sergeants, 
four  corporals,  one  clerk,  one  drummer,  one  fifer,  and 
fifty -eight  privates.  The  officers  to  be  chosen  by  their 
respective  companies.  These  companies  were  formed 
into  regiments,  each  with  one  colonel,  one  lieutenant- 
colonel,  two  majors,  one  adjutant  and  one  quarter- 
master. All  officers  above  the  rank  of  captain  were 
appointed  by  the  committees  of  safety.  The  militia 
could  only  be  called  out  with  the  consent  of  the  state 
legislatures;  Congress  also  provided  that  one-fourth 
of  the  militia  in  every  colony  be  selected  as  minute- 
men,  from  those  who  volunteered,  and  that  they  be 
ready  at  short  notice  to  march  to  any  place  when 
their  assistance  was  required  for  the  defense  of  their 
own  or  neighboring  colony.  This  was  the  first  scheme 
of  mobilization  in  this  country. 

The  following  table,  submitted  to  Congress  by  the 
secretary  of  war  in  1790,  shows  the  number  of  troops 
furnished  by  the  states  during  the  year  1776 : 


169 


170 


TIN  SOLDIERS 


States 

No.  of 
men  on 
Continental 
pay 

No.  of 
Militia 

Total   Militia 
and 
Continentals 

New  Hampshire  

3,019 

3,019 

Massachusetts    

13,372 

4,666 

17  372 

Rhode  Island 

798 

1  102 

1  900 

Connecticut  

6,390 

5,737 

12  127 

609 

145 

754 

Maryland    

637 

2,592 

3,229 

Virginia  

6,181 

6  181 

North  Carolina 

1,134 

1  134 

South  Carolina  

2,069 

2,069 

351 

351 

New  York   

3,629 

1,715 

5,344 

Pennsylvania    

5,519 

4,876 

10,395 

3  193 

5  893 

9  086 

Total    

46,901 

26,060 

72,961 

In  August,  1794,  troubles  arose  in  western  Penn- 
sylvania in  regard  to  the  enforcement  of  the  revenue 
laws  of  the  United  States,  and  it  was  made  manifest 
that  civil  officers,  unsupported  by  military  force,  are 
not  always  able  to  keep  peace.  With  the  motto 
"Liberty  and  no  excise,"  malcontents  assembled  in 
arms  to  the  number  of  seven  thousand,  and  refusing  to 
disperse,  pursuant  to  a  proclamation  of  the  President 
(later),  he  was  obliged  to  call  upon  the  governors  of 
New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  and  Virginia 
for  fifteen  thousand  militia,  no  regular  troops  being 
available.  The  quotas  asked  for  were  promptly 
furnished,  except  by  Pennsylvania,  where  the  militia 
were  unreliable,  through  sympathy  with  their  rebellious 
fellow-citizens;  but  when  the  governors  of  the  states, 
who  marched  at  the  heads  of  their  troops,  reached  the 
scene  of  the  troubles  the  insurgents  were  induced  to 
disperse  without  bloodshed,  another  argument  for 
nationalization  or  federalization. 


HISTORY  AND  STATISTICS  171 

McMaster  says,  "The  militia  called  into  service 
during  the  year  1812  numbered  49,187,  of  whom  208 
were  from  Massachusetts  and  none  from  Connecticut, 
adding  to  these  were  10,000  regulars,  newly  enlisted 
and  without  training."  During  this  war  our  navy 
accomplished  wonders,  but  our  land  forces  were  a 
burlesque,  and  but  for  England  having  her  hands  full 
with  her  war  on  the  continent  of  Europe,  the  results 
would  have  been  far  different.  The  lesson  held  out 
above  all  others  was  that  our  militia  furnished  no 
security  at  all,  they  were,  however,  as  good  in  battle 
as  regulars,  with  no  more  training. 

The  difficulty  of  recruiting  regiments  in  time  of 
hostilities  was  shown  in  this  as  in  all  conflicts,  and,  as 
Major  Steele  points  out,  shows  the  importance  of 
maintaining  a  standing  army  of  a  size  proportionate 
to  our  needs  and  to  the  population  of  the  country,  to 
serve  as  a  training  school  for  officers  and  as  a  nucleus 
and  first  line  in  case  of  war.  In  1845  we  went  to 
war  with  Mexico. 

This  war  grew  out  of  the  annexation  of  Texas  and 
our  dispute  with  Mexico  over  the  boundary  line,  and, 
to  quote  from  Steele's  "American  Campaigns," 
"Possibly  the  best  incident  of  the  Mexican  War  from 
a  military  point  of  view  of  the  nation,  was  the  absence 
of  the  militia."  The  next  call  on  the  militia  was  at 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War. 

In  1861,  when  President  Lincoln  called  for  seventy- 
five  thousand  militiamen,  the  patriotic  men  of  the 
North  rushed  to  arms  in  numbers  far  exceeding  the 


172  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

facilities  of  the  government.  The  South,  of  course, 
refused  to  send  troops  to  the  Union,  but  did  furnish 
them  for  the  Confederacy. 

If  Washington's  injunction  to  prepare  for  war  in 
time  of  peace  had  been  heeded  the  civil  war  would  have 
been  a  matter  of  months  instead  of  years.  With  a 
standing  army  of  forty  thousand  disciplined  soldiers 
at  the  outbreak  the  government  would  have  made 
short  work  of  the  rebellion.  Practically  all  the  federal 
troops  were  militia,  and  were  developed  into  the  most 
efficient  fighting  armies  before  the  end  of  the  war,  yet 
the  average  civilian  overlooks  the  fact  that  our  oppo- 
nents were  without  an  army  at  the  start,  and  had  to 
build  one  out  of  the  "whole  cloth,"  giving  the  Fed- 
erals a  similar  opportunity.  Also  that  during  the  first 
year  both  Northern  and  Southern  armies  were  little 
more  than  armed  mobs  composed  of  individually  brave 
and  patriotic  men.  Neither  side  would  have  had  any 
show  against  a  much  smaller,  properly  trained  and 
organized  force.  The  futile  efforts  of  the  brave,  des- 
perate and  highly  patriotic  Frenchmen  in  1871  con- 
clusively demonstrates  this.  Conditions  continued 
unchanged  with  the  militia  until  the  Spanish  War. 

The  events  of  "'98"  are  too  fresh  in  mind  to  go 
into  details,  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  the  militia  was 
totally  unprepared,  and  its  record  was  similar  to  that 
of  1812.  In  every  war  the  militia  as  such  failed  be- 
cause it  had  not  been  organized  and  trained  for  the 
long  campaigns  of  a  war.  After  the  Spanish  War 
Congress,  and  the  public  generally,  realized  what 


HISTORY  AND  STATISTICS  173 

military  students  have  long  contended,  that  under  a 
status  like  that  previous  to  1898  the  militia  as  such 
would  never  be  of  much  practical  use  in  a  foreign  or 
other  war.  To  quote  from  a  source  so  recent  as  the 
Encyclopedia  Britannica,  Edition  of  1893:  "The 
National  Guard  are  to  a  great  degree  dependent  on 
their  own  exertion  for  equipment  in  all  respects  save 
that  of  mere  guns.  The  soldiers  furnish  their  own  uni- 
forms, etc.,  and  the  tastes  of  each  particular  company 
in  some  of  the  states  are  consulted  as  regards  the  uni- 
forms selected,  the  result  being  almost  incongruous  ap- 
pearance of  the  different  bodies  of  troops  when,  mustered 
together,  they  appear  even  in  the  same  regiment  all 
the  colors  of  the  rainbow." 

The  Dick  Bill  has  changed  all  this,  and  to-day  the 
Organized  Militia  of  the  United  States  is  fairly  well 
equipped  for  field  service  according  to  the  models, 
patterns,  and  standards  of  equipment  of  the  Regular 
Army.  The  men  for  the  most  part  are  physically 
sound  and  mentally  efficient. 

The  secretary  of  war  is  authorized  to  provide  for 
participation  by  any  part  of  the  Organized  Militia 
of  any  state  or  territory,  on  request  of  the  governor,  in 
the  encampment,  maneuvers,  and  field  instruction  of 
any  part  of  the  Regular  Army,  at  or  near  any  military 
post  or  camp,  or  lake  or  sea  coast  defenses  of  the 
United  States. 

The  Organized  Militia,  when  so  participating,  receives 
the  same  pay,  subsistence  and  transportation  as  is  pro- 
vided by  law  for  officers  and  men  of  the  Regular  Army. 


174  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

The  Divisions,  Departments,  and  Troops  of  the 
United  States  Army,  on  the  first  day  of  December, 
1911,  were  as  follows; 

THE  EASTERN  DIVISION. —  Embracing  the  De- 
partment of  the  East  and  the  Department  of  the  Gulf; 
headquarters  at  Governors  Island,  N.  Y. 

Troops  not  embraced  in  departments:  10th  Inf. 

THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  EAST. —  Embracing  the 
New  England  States,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Penn- 
sylvania, Delaware,  Maryland,  District  of  Columbia, 
Virginia,  West  Virginia,  Ohio,  the  Island  of  Porto 
Rico,  and  the  islands  and  keys  adjacent  thereto;  head- 
quarters at  Fort  Totten,  N.  Y. 

Troops:  1st  Batln.  Engrs  and  Engr.  Band;  Co.  G, 
Sig.  Corps;  10th,  and  Hdqrs.  and  1st  Squad.  15th 
Cav.;  2d  Batln.,  3d  Field  Art.;  1st,  2d,  3d,  4th,  5th, 
6th,  7th,  8th,  9th,  12th,  14th,  17th,  21st,  24th,  35th, 
36th,  40th,  41st,  43d,  44th,  45th,  46th,  47th,  48th,  49th, 
50th,  51st,  52d,  53d,  54th,  55th,  56th,  58th,  59th,  69th, 
58th,  73d,  76th,  81st,  82d,  83d,  84th,  87th,  88th,  89th, 
96th,  97th,  98th,  100th,  101st,  102d,  103d,  104th,  107th, 
109th,  110th,  112th,  113th,  114th,  117th,  118th, 
119th,  120th,  122d,  123d,  124th,  125th,  129th,  130th, 
131st,  132d,  133d,  134th,  135th,  136th,  137th,  139th, 
140th,  141st,  143d,  151st,  152d,  153d,  154th,  155th, 
156th,  157th,  165th,  166th,  167th,  168th,  and  169th 
Cos.,  Coast  Art.;  2d,  4th,  5th  7th,  10th  llth,  12th, 


HISTORY  AND  STATISTICS  175 

and  13th  Bands,  Coast  Art.;  5th,  24th,  and  29th  Inf., 
and  Porto  Rico  Regiment  of  Infantry. 

THE  DEPARTMENT  or  THE  GULF. —  Embracing  the 
states  of  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Kentucky, 
Tennessee,  Georgia,  Florida,  Alabama,  Mississippi, 
and  the  Artillery  Districts  of  New  Orleans  and  Galves- 
ton;  headquarters  at  Atlanta,  Ga. 

Troops:  15th,  16th,  19th,  20th,  22d,  31st,  39th,  72d, 
74th,  75th,  77th,  78th,  79th,  80th,  91st,  99th,  lllth, 
116th,  121st,  127th,  128th,  144th,  145th,  162d,  163d, 
164th,  and  170th  Cos.,  Coast  Art.;  1st,  8th,  and  14th 
Bands,  Coast  Art. 

THE  CENTRAL  DIVISION. —  Embracing  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Lakes,  the  Department  of  the  Missouri, 
the  Department  of  Texas,  and  the  military  reservations 
of  Fort  D.  A.  Russell,  Wyoming;  Fort  Leavenworth, 
Kansas,  and  Fort  Riley,  Kansas;  headquarters  at 
Chicago,  111. 

Troops:  not  embraced  in  depts.  I.  K,  and  M, 
Engrs.,  Field  Hospital  and  Ambulance  Co.  No.  1; 
Ambulance  Co.  No.  3;  D.  Sig.  Corps;  9th  and  13th 
Cav.  and  2d  Squad.,  15th  Cav.;  4th,  E,  5th,  and  6th 
Field  Art.,  and  llth  Inf. 

THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  LAKES. —  Embracing 
the  states  of  Michigan,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Wisconsin, 
Minnesota,  and  North  Dakota;  headquarters  at  St. 
Paul,  Minn. 

Troops:  3d  Squad.  15th  Cav.;  Hdqrs.  and  D  and  F, 
5th  Field  Art.;  1st  Bathi.,  14th  Inf.,  and  26th  and  27th 
Inf. 


176  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  MISSOURI. —  Embracing 
the  states  of  Iowa,  Missouri,  Kansas  (except  that  part 
included  in  the  military  reservations  of  Fort  Leaven- 
worth  and  Fort  Riley),  Nebraska,  South  Dakota, 
Wyoming  (except  that  part  included  in  the  Yellow- 
stone National  Park  and  the  military  reservation  of 
Fort  D.  A.  Russell),  and  Colorado;  headquarters  at 
Omaha,  Neb. 

Troops:  Cos.  A,  B,  and  H,  Sig.  Corps;  Hdqrs., 
1st  and  2d  Squads,  12th  Cav.;  Hdqrs.  and  1st  and  2d 
Batlns.,  4th  Inf.,  and  Hdqrs.,  2d  and  3d  Batlns., 
18th  Inf. 

THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  TEXAS. —  Embracing  the 
states  of  Texas  (except  that  part  included  in  the  Artil- 
lery District  of  Galveston),  Louisiana  (except  that  part 
included  in  the  Artillery  District  of  New  Orleans; 
Arkansas,  Oklahoma,  and  New  Mexico  Territory) 
headquarters  at  San  Antonio,  Tex. 

Troops:  L,  Engrs.;  I,  Sig.  Corps;  3d,  4th,  and  llth 
Cav.;  Hdqrs.  and  A,  B,  and  C,  3d,  and  A,  B,  and  C, 
5th  Field  Art.;  3d  Batln,  4th  Inf.,  17th,  22d,  23d,  and 
28th  Inf. 

THE  WESTERN  DIVISION. —  Embracing  the  Depart- 
ment of  California  and  the  Department  of  the  Colum- 
bia; headquarters  at  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  CALIFORNIA. —  Embracing 
the  states  of  California,  Nevada,  Utah,  Arizona  Terri- 
tory, and  the  Hawaiian  Islands  and  their  dependencies; 
headquarters  at  Fort  Miley,  Cal. 

Troops:  Hdqrs,  and  G,  2d  Batln.  Engrs.;  E  and  M, 


HISTORY  AND  STATISTICS  177 

Sig.  Corps;  Hdqrs.  A,  B,  C,  and  D,  1st  Cav.;  5th  and 
6th  Cav.,  and  3d  Squad.,  12th  Cav.;  Hdqrs.  D,  E,  and 
F,  1st,  and  E,  2d  Field  Art.;  10th,  25th,  27th,  28th, 
29th,  32d,  38th,  57th,  60th,  61st,  64th,  65th,  66th,  67th, 
68th,  70th,  105th,  115th,  147th,  148th,  158th,  159th, 
and  161st  Cos.,  Coast  Art.;  3d  Band,  Coast  Art.;  2d 
Inf.,  8th  Inf.,  15th  Inf.,  1st  Batln.,  18th  Inf.,  2d  Batln., 
20th  Inf.,  and  30th  Inf. 

THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  COLUMBIA. —  Embracing 
the  states  of  Washington,  Oregon,  Idaho,  Montana, 
so  much  of  Wyoming  as  is  included  in  the  Yellowstone 
National  Park,  and  Alaska;  headquarters  at  Vancouver 
Barracks,  Wash. 

Troops:  Co.  F,  2d  Batln.  Engrs.;  Cos.  C  and  K, 
Sig.  Corps,  E,  F,  G,  H,  I,  K,  L,  and  M,  1st  Cav.; 
Hdqrs.  and  D  and  F,  2d  Field  Art.;  26th,  30th,  33d, 
34th,  62d,  63d,  71st,  85th,  92d,  93d,  94th,  106th, 
108th,  126th,  149th,  150th,  and  160th  Cos.,  Coast 
Art.;  6th  Band,  Coast  Art.;  1st,  16th,  and  25th  Inf.; 
Hdqrs.  and  2d  and  3d  Batlns.,  14th  Inf. 

THE  PHILIPPINES  DIVISION. —  Embracing  the  De- 
partment of  Luzon,  Department  of  the  Visayas,  and 
Department  of  Mindanao;  headquarters  at  Manila, 
P.  I. 

Troops  not  embraced  in  Depts.;  Cos.  E  and  H, 
Engrs.;  Field  Hospital  and  Ambulance  Co.  No.  4; 
llth,  13th,  18th,  23d,  42d,  86th,  90th,  95th,  138th, 
and  142d  Cos.,  and  9th  Band,  Coast  Art.;  36th,  37th, 
40th,  44th,  and  50th  Cos.,  Philippine  Scouts. 

THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LUZON. —  Embracing  all  that 


178  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

portion  of  the  Philippine  Archipelago  lying  north  of  a 
line  passing  southeastwardly  through  the  West  Pass 
of  Apo,  or  Mindoro  Strait,  to  the  twelfth  parallel  of 
north  latitude;  thence  east  along  said  parallel  to  longi- 
tude 124  degrees,  ten  minutes  east  of  Greenwich,  but 
including  the  Island  of  Palawan  and  adjacent  small 
islands,  the  island  of  Masbate;  thence  northerly  to  and 
through  San  Bernardino  Straits;  headquarters  at  Ma- 
nila, P.  I. 

Troops:  Cos.  F  and  L,  Sig.  Corps;  7th,  8th,  and  14th 
Cav.;  A,  B,  and  C,  1st;  A,  B,  and  C,  2d  Field  Art.; 
7th,  12th,  13th,  and  Hdqrs.  1st  and  3d  Batlns.,  20th 
Inf.;  1st,  2d,  3d,  4th,  5th,  6th,  8th,  17th,  19th,  20th, 
22d,  23d,  25th,  26th,  27th,  32d,  33d,  35th,  38th,  39th, 
and  41st  Cos.,  Philippine  Scouts. 

THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  VISAYAS. —  Embracing 
all  islands  of  the  Philippine  Archipelago  lying  south 
of  the  southern  boundary  line  of  the  Department  of 
Luzon  and  east  of  longitude  121  degrees  45  minutes 
east  of  Greenwich  and  north  of  the  ninth  parallel  of 
latitude,  except  the  islands  of  Mindanao,  Palawan, 
and  all  islands  east  of  the  Straits  of  Surigao;  headquar- 
ters at  Iloilo,  P.  I. 

Troops:  9th  and  19th  Inf.;  7th,  9th,  10th,  llth, 
13th,  16th,  21st,  24th,  and  28th  Cos.,  Philippine  Scouts. 

THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  MINDANAO. —  Embracing  all 
islands  of  the  Philippine  Archipelago  not  included  in 
other  departments;  headquarters  at  Zamboanga,  P.  I. 

Troops:  2d  Cav.,  3d,  6th,  and  21st  Inf.;  12th,  14th, 
15th,  18th,  29th,  30th,  31st,  34th,  42d,  43d,  45th,  46th, 


HISTORY  AND  STATISTICS 


179 


47th,    48th,    49th,   51st,    and    52d    Cos.,    Philippine 
Scouts. 

The  following  table  gives  the  number  of  Organized 
Militia  for  each  one  thousand  of  male  population 
between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  forty-five,  in  the 
several  states  and  territories  and  District  of  Columbia, 
based  on  the  reports  made  by  adjutants-general  of 
states,  territories,  and  the  District  of  Columbia  on 
January  1,  1910. 


Alabama 9.5 

Arizona    15.1 

Arkansas 5.1 

California 9.5 

Colorado    7.2 

Connecticut 20.5 

Delaware 11.7 

District  of  Columbia 27. 6 

Florida 4.8 

Georgia    5.8 

Hawaii 71.8 

Idaho 20.1 

Illinois 6.0 

Indiana    3.5 

Iowa 9.4 

Kansas 4.8 

Kentucky    5.5 

Louisiana 4.5 

Maine 13.1 

Maryland    11.5 

Massachusetts    10.8 

Michigan     4.1 

Minnesota 12.5 

Mississippi 4.7 

Missouri    5.4 

Montana 14.8 

Nebraska 8.1 


Nevada    0.0 

New  Hampshire 30. 1 

New  Jersey 7.6 

New  Mexico 11.1 

New  York 11.2 

North  Carolina 8.1 

North  Dakota 12. 3 

Ohio 5.7 

Oklahoma    6.7 

Oregon.... 11.5 

Pennsylvania     9.4 

Rhode  Island    12.0 

South  Carolina 8.9 

South  Dakota 10. 8 

Tennessee    3.6 

Texas 6.0 

Utah 14.3 

Vermont    19.3 

Virginia 9.8 

Washington 5.1 

West  Virginia 7.8 

Wisconsin    6.9 

Wyoming 27. 8 

Average   for   all    states,   terri- 
tories, and  the  District  of 

Columbia..                  ....  7.7 


Following  is  the  allotment  of  funds  appropriated 
by  Congress  in  accordance  with  section  1661,  Revised 
Statutes,  as  amended  by  the  act  approved  June  22, 
1906,  to  the  several  states,  territories,  and  the  District 
of  Columbia  for  the  support  of  the  militia  for  1911. 


180 


"TIN  SOLDIERS" 


States  or  Territories 

Rep- 
re- 
sen- 
ta- 
tion 

Arms,  equip- 
ments, and 
camp  pur- 
poses 

Promo- 
tion of  rifle 
practice 

Total  ap- 
portion- 
ment 

Alabama  

11 

$32,275.96 

$10,758.65 

$43,034  61 

9 

26,407  61 

8,802  53 

35,210  14 

10 

29  341  78 

9  780  59 

39  122  37 

Colorado  

5 

14,670.89 

4,890  30 

19,561   19 

7 

20  539  24 

6  846  42 

27  385  66 

Delaware    

3 

8,802.53 

2,934.18 

11,736  71 

5 

14,670  89 

4,890  30 

19,561   19 

13 

38  144  31 

12  714  77 

50  859  08 

Idaho    ..    . 

3 

8,802.53 

2,934.18 

11,736  71 

Illinois 

27 

79  222  81 

26,407  60 

105  630  41 

Indiana  

15 

44,012.67 

14,670.89 

58,683  56 

Iowa                  .          

13 

38,244  31 

12,714  77 

50,859  08 

Kansas   

TO 

29,341.78 

9,780.59 

39,122.37 

Kentucky  

13 

38,144.31 

12,714.77 

50,859  08 

9 

26,407  61 

8  802  53 

35  210  14 

Maine  

fi 

17,605.07 

5,868.35 

23,473.42 

Maryland                

8 

23,473.42 

7,824  48 

31,297  90 

Massachusetts  

in 

46,946.85 

15,648.95 

62,595.80 

Michigan      

14 

41,078.49 

13,692.83 

54,771  32 

11 

32,275  96 

10  758  65 

43  034  61 

Mississippi  .  . 

10 

29,341  .  78 

9,780  59 

39,122  37 

Missouri                        

18 

52,815  20 

17,605  07 

70  420  27 

Montana  .  . 

3 

8,802.53 

2,934.18 

11,736.71 

Nebraska    

8 

23,473.42 

7,824  48 

31,297  90 

Nevada 

3 

8  802  53 

2  934  18 

11  736  71 

New  Hampshire    

4 

11,736.71 

3,912.24 

15,648.95 

New  Jersey      

12 

35,210  14 

11,736  71 

46,946  85 

New  York 

39 

114  432  94 

38  144  31 

152  577  25 

North  Carolina  

12 

35,210.14 

11,736  71 

46,946  85 

North  Dakota 

4 

11  736  71 

3  912  24 

15  648  95 

Ohio    

?3 

67,486.10 

22,495.36 

89,981.46 

Oklahoma  

7 

20,539  24 

6,846  42 

27,385  66 

4 

11  736  71 

3  912  24 

15  648  95 

Pennsylvania  

34 

99,762.05 

33,254.02 

133,016  07 

Rhode  Island     

4 

11,736  71 

3,912  24 

15  648  95 

9 

26  407  61 

8  802  53 

35  210  14 

South  Dakota   
Tennessee 

4 
12 

11,736.71 
35  210  14 

3,912.24 
11  736  71 

15,648.95 
46  946  85 

Texas    
Utah  

18 
3 

52,815.20 
8,802  53 

17,605.07 
2,934  18 

70,420.27 
11,736  71 

Vermont 

4 

11  736  71 

3  912  24 

15  648  95 

Virginia  

1? 

35,210  14 

11,736  71 

46,946  85 

Washington 

5 

14,670  89 

4  890  30 

19  561   19 

West  Virginia    

7 

20,539.24 

6,846.42 

27,385.66 

Wisconsin  

13 

38,144  31 

12,714  77 

50,859  08 

Wyoming.  .  . 

3 

8,802.53 

2,934.18 

11,736.71 

Arizona  

8,490.47 

2,830  14 

11,320  61 

District  of  Columbia 

27,803  16 

9  267  72 

37,070  88 

Hawaii 

11  041   87 

3  680  62 

14  722  49 

New  Mexico  

7,706  56 

2,568  85 

10,275  41 

Division  of  Militia  Affairs 
and  Nat  Mi  Board 

37  000  00 



Total  .  . 

483 

$1,472,250.00 

$490.750.00 

$2,000,000.00 

HISTORY  AND  STATISTICS  181 

The  law  requires  that  the  annual  appropriation  of 
$2,000,000  shall  be  apportioned  among  the  several 
states,  under  the  direction  of  the  secretary  of  war, 
according  to  the  number  of  senators  and  representa- 
tives to  which  the  state  is  entitled  in  the  Congress  of 
the  United  States,  and  to  the  territories  and  the  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia  such  proportion  and  under  such 
regulations  as  the  President  may  prescribe,  provided 
that  no  state  shall  be  entitled  to  the  benefit  of  the 
appropriation  apportioned  to  it  unless  the  number 
of  its  regularly  enlisted,  organized,  and  uniformed 
active  militia  shall  be  one  hundred  men  for  each 
senator  and  representative  to  which  such  state  is 
entitled  in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States. 

The  funds  are  available  for  expenditure  for  the 
following  purposes: 

For  any  stores  and  supplies  or  publications  which 
are  supplied  to  the  army. 

For  the  payment,  subsistence,  and  transportation 
of  such  portions  of  the  Organized  Militia  as  shall  engage 
in  actual  field  or  camp  service  for  instruction. 

For  the  actual  excess  of  expenses  of  travel  incurred 
by  officers  of  the  Regular  Army  in  connection  with 
the  inspections  of  the  Organized  Militia,  over  the  au- 
thorized mileage  allowances  of  said  officers  in  traveling 
under  War  Department  orders. 

For  the  promotion  of  rifle  practice,  including  the 
acquisition,  construction,  maintenance,  and  equip- 
ment of  shooting  galleries  and  suitable  target  ranges. 

For  the  hire  of  horses  and  draft  animals  for  the 


182  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

use  of  mounted  troops,  batteries,  and  wagons  in  con- 
nection with  field  exercises  for  instructional  purposes. 

For  forage  for  horses  and  draft  animals  in  connec- 
tion with  field  exercises  and  instructional  purposes. 

For  such  incidental  expenses  as  may  be  deemed 
necessary  by  the  secretary  of  war,  in  connection  with 
encampments,  maneuvers,  and  field  instruction,  and 
for  the  same  in  connection  with  joint  maneuvers  or 
exercises  with  regular  troops. 

The  following  table  gives  the  number  of  militia 
in  the  United  States  under  the  Dick  Bill  in  1910. 


HISTORY  AND  STATISTICS 


183 


Official  Designation  of  the  Organized 
Militia 

Total 
Commissioned 

Enlisted 
Men 

Tot'l  Commis'd 
and  Enlisted 
(Org'ized  Militia) 

Reserve 
Militia 
(Unorgan- 
ized) 

Alabama  National  Guard    

240 

3  134 

3,374 

350,000 

National  Guard  of  Arizona  

48 

568 

616 

40,000 

Arkansas  National  Guard   

136 

1,534 

1,670 

325,000 

National  Guard  of  California     . 

199 

2  777 

2  976 

309,546 

National  Guard  of  Colorado  
Connecticut  National  Guard    

76 
180 

887 
2,441 

963 
2,621 

131,000 
124,991 

Organized  Militia  of  Delaware 

44 

336 

380 

32,000 

National  Guard  of  District  of  Columbia  . 
Florida  State  Troops    

115 
101 

1,664 
1,177 

1,779 
1,278 

62,634 
264,335 

237 

2  686 

2  923 

500,000 

National  Guard  of  Hawaii    

47 

572 

619 

8,000 

National  Guard  of  Idaho    . 

57 

560 

617 

30,000 

Illinois  National  Guard  

520 

5,746 

6,266 

1,031,488 

Indiana  National  Guard    

179 

2,106 

2,285 

638,560 

223 

2  664 

2,887 

302,000 

Kansas  National  Guard  

133 

1,565 

1,698 

350,000 

Kentucky  State  Guard    

140 

1,712 

1,852 

336,000 

Louisiana  State  National  Board  

127 

1,692 

1,819 

400,000 

National  Guard  of  the  State  of  Maine    .  . 
Maryland  National  Guard    

116 
157 

1,266 
1,944 

1,382 
2,101 

103,375 
180,000 

Massachusetts  Volunteer  Militia  

442 

5,403 

5,845 

533,264 

Michigan  National  Guard  

203 

2,703 

2,906 

705,000 

Minnesota  National  Guard  

207 

2,598 

2,805 

221,000 

Mississippi  National  Guard    

141 

1,422 

1,563 

325,000 

National  Guard  of  Missouri 

254 

3,262 

3,516 

650,000 

National  Guard  of  Montana  

42 

515 

557 

37,000 

Nebraska  National  Guard  

117 

953 

1,070 

130,000 

Nevada  National  Guard 

19,000 

New  Hampshire  National  Guard    

89 

1,154 

1,243 

40,000 

National  Guard  of  New  Jersey    . 

360 

3,955 

4,315 

559,456 

National  Guard  of  New  Mexico  .  . 

55 

711 

766 

68,000 

National  Guard  of  New  York  

994 

15,295 

16,289 

1,436,275 

North  Carolina  National  Guard  

221 

2,174 

2,395 

290,000 

North  Dakota  National  Guard    

70 

678 

748 

60,000 

Ohio  National  Guard  

517 

5,776 

6,293 

1,085,110 

Oklahoma  National  Guard  

59 

898 

957 

140,000 

Oregon  National  Guard  

112 

1,411 

1,523 

130,000 

National  Guard  of  Pennsylvania    .  .  . 

722 

9,558 

10,280 

1,081,845 

Rhode  Island  National  Guard  

109 

989 

1,098 

90,000 

National  Guard  of  South  Carolina    

183 

1,748 

1,931 

213,274 

South  Dakota  National  Guard  .  . 

76 

690 

766 

70,000 

National  Guard  of  Tennessee  

131 

1,409 

1,540 

425,000 

Texas  National  Guard  

220 

2,804 

3,024 

500,000 

National  Guard  of  Utah 

50 

387 

437 

30,000 

Vermont  National  Guard    

67 

850 

917 

46,500 

Virginia  Volunteers  

187 

2,311 

2,498 

250,000 

National  Guard  of  Washington    

78 

929 

1,007 

200,000 

West  Virginia  National  Guard  

107 

1,280 

1,387 

175,000 

Wisconsin  National  Guard    

192 

2,888 

3,080 

438,472 

Wyoming  National  Guard  

51 

665 

716 

25,000 

9,133 

112,447 

121,580 

15,493,125 

184  "TIN  SOLDIERS" 

The  Militia  Law  of  January  21,  1903,  as  amended 
by  the  act  of  May  27,  1908,  provides,  "That  the  militia 
shall  consist  of  every  able-bodied  male  citizen  of  the 
respective  states,  who  is  more  than  eighteen  and  less 
than  forty-five  years  of  age,  and  shall  be  divided  into 
two  classes  —  the  Organized  Militia,  to  be  known  as 
the  National  Guard,  or  by  such  other  designations  as 
may  be  given  them  by  the  laws  of  the  respective 
states  or  territories;  the  remainder  to  be  known  as  the 
Reserve  Militia." 

Alaska  has  no  militia,  though  provision  is  made  for 
such  if  need  arises.  Guam  and  Samoa  have  each  a 
small  provisional  force,  used  more  for  police  purposes 
than  for  military.  The  Philippines  have  a  constabulary 
force  which  can  be  used  either  for  war  or  police  purposes, 
provided  the  former  is  on  the  islands.  Porto  Rico  has 
a  regiment  of  eight  companies  of  infantry  which  is  a 
part  of  the  Regular  Army.  The  enlisted  men  and 
over  one-half  of  the  line  officers  of  this  regiment  are  na- 
tives of  Porto  Rico.  The  reserve  militia  in  the  Southern 
States  is  assumed  to  include  negroes  capable  of  bearing 
arms. 

The  strength  and  organization  of  the  Regular  Army 
in  active  service  as  organized  under  the  acts  of  Con- 
gress comprises  fifteen  regiments  of  cavalry,  765 
officers  and  12,775  enlisted  men;  six  regiments  of  field 
artillery,  236  officers  and  5,220  enlisted  men,  a  coast 
artillery  corps,  one  hundred  and  seventy  companies, 
672  officers  and  19,321  enlisted  men;  thirty  regiments 
of  infantry,  1,530  officers  and  25,231  enlisted  men; 


HISTORY  AND  STATISTICS  185 

three  battalions  of  engineers,  2,002  enlisted  men, 
commanded  by  officers  detailed  from  the  corps  of  en- 
gineers, the  Porto  Rico  Regiment  of  Infantry,  thirty- 
two  officers  and  576  enlisted  men;  staff  corps,  Service 
School  detachments,  Military  Academy,  Indian  scouts, 
recruits,  etc.,  11,777  enlisted  men,  and  a  provisional 
force  of  fifty-two  companies  of  native  scouts  in  the 
Philippines,  180  officers  and  5,732  enlisted  men.  The 
total  number  of  commissioned  officers,  staff  and  line 
on  the  active  list  is  4,453  (including  193  first  lieuten- 
ants, Medical  Reserve  Corps  on  active  duty),  and  the 
total  enlisted  strength,  staff  and  line  is  76,911,  exclusive 
of  the  provisional  force  and  the  hospital  corps.  The 
law  provides  that  the  total  enlisted  strength  of  the 
army  shall  not  exceed  at  any  one  time  100,000. 


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